More than you think you are
by Butterflied1990
Summary: AUish. Mitchie Torres is an average teenager until an unexpected event turns her life upsidedown. She becomes withdrawn a shell of who she was. When her mum is offered a job at camp rock she jumps hoping it will be just what Mitche needs.If only she knew.
1. Prologue

**Okay so I thought of a random idea for a camp rock fic that I don't think is like any of the rest of them. This isn't my usual genre so I'm sorry if I get some facts wrong. Let me know what you think, if it's a lost cause.**

**Almost forgot... Disclaimer: I do not own Camp Rock or any of the characters and would never claim to.**

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Prologue

"Can you please state your full name for the court." The elderly man said from behind the podium.

"Michelle Torres." I replied nervously, my palms were sweaty, my heart was pounding and I felt like I was going to throw up.

"Okay Michelle when you're ready would you please tell the court exactly what happened on the evening of June 25th, 2003." The judge said calmly, I could tell he was trying to be nice, keep me calm like everyone else but it made no difference.

I glanced toward my teary-eyed mother, then to the dark haired boy standing next to her trying not to break down and that's when I knew I had to speak. I took a deep breath and turned toward the rest of the courtroom ready to tell the story of the night that I would never forget, the night that broke me, the night that changed my life forever.

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**Okay I know it's not that long but it is a prologue and I'm just setting the scene. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.**


	2. Chapter 1 Party

This is before she gets to camp rock but don't worry she will get there!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Camp rock or any of the characters from the movie. **

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Chapter 1 Party

"Hey mum something smells amazing." I said as I strolled merrily into the kitchen attempting a grab at some pasta but my hand was lightly slapped away.

"Carbonara and it isn't ready yet so keep your hands off." She replied playfully, oh how I loved how protective she got over her food. I guess it was her catering instinct or something.

"So anyway I wanted to ask if I could go to a party tonight, me and Cassie finally got invited and her mum said I could stay over at hers. Pleeeease." I gave her my best puppy dog look and batted my eyelashes a few times hoping for the best.

"Are there going to be chaperones at this party?" She asked in her best mum voice.

"Yes, as if Cassie's mum would let her go otherwise and plus what kind of insane person would let a bunch of 15 years olds host a party in their home?" I rambled, I didn't need to tell her that the chaperones were technically still teenagers.

She paused for a moment and then sighed, "Alright Mitchie but I'm calling Cassie's mother to check the arrangements, dinner is ready so you better eat up and go get ready."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, I will." I said happily I was so excited as I tucked into the steaming plate of food. Now all I had to do was pick out an outfit.

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It had taken me 2 hours to pick out an outfit and fix my hair but finally I was ready to go which pleased Cassie immensely. I decided to go with a cute black dress that cut just above the knees but pulled me in at the waist. I left my hair to its natural curls, something I didn't do often and spent the rest of the time working on my make-up. Apparently, I took an unnatural amount of time to get ready but I just wanted to look right, it was my first 'real' party.

Mrs Barnes dropped us off round the block from the party house, Cassie said it would be 'uncool' if we were seen getting out of her mum's car, I didn't mind but whatever if it made her happy. We stepped out onto the pavement, heels clanking, and headed in the direction of the music, it was only faint but as we neared the place the volume increased to phenomenal level's, if the neighbour's weren't invited they were definitely going to complain.

We walked passed a few older kids smoking outside and entered through the front door, the whole house was full with kids of all ages shoving their way through crowds toward the kitchen and the kegs. I grabbed onto Cassie's arm and we joined the crowd, pushing our way through to the elaborately decorated living room turned dance floor. There were decks set out in one corner with a rather large DJ stood changing records and protecting his equipment from damage, the sofa's had all been placed to the other side of the room with drapes over them, clearly no one was allowed to sit down in this room. There was an open arch to the right of the Decks and that led to the kitchen, and to the drinks. I wasn't really a fan of alcohol so I headed for the bowl labelled 'non-alcoholic punch' and poured myself a cup. Cassie on the other hand headed straight for the keg of beer, I shook my head in mock disapproval as I sipped my punch but she just flipped me one and carried on filling her cup.

**....Several drinks later**

I felt weird, my legs felt light as a feather and the room was spinning a little which I'm pretty sure wasn't normal. I looked around to try to find Cassie but she was nowhere in sight so I stumbled through the crowds calling her name, I was so focused on finding my best friend that I crashed face first into the muscular chest of some guy spilling punch all over the both of us.

"Er...I'm really sorry." I squeaked nervously as I patted myself down.

He looked pissed at first and then a smile crept across his face and his features softened, "It's okay, looks like you spilt most of the drink on yourself." He chuckled and he was right, I was soaking.

"I'm just looking for my friend, we need to be getting home see and well I don't know where she is." I was rambling now but he made me nervous.

"I'll help you find her if you want but first we should go find something to change into." He said. Part of me knew that it was a bad idea to follow him up the stairs but my feet seemed to carry me without permission and before I knew it we were in some guy's bedroom and he was rifling through the draws.

"Here, this will probably fit you put it on." He said as he chucked a black T-shirt at me.

I started to head toward the door so I could go change in the bathroom but he stopped me.

"Don't worry I won't look." He whispered in my ear before he pulled off his wet shirt.

"Erm... I don't, I think I'll just stay in my dress, it'll dry." I said nervously, this was getting too intense, my head was screaming for me to get the hell out but he was in the way of the door and there was no way I could overpower him.

"Don't you trust me." This time his voice had an edge to it and his face was so close to mine that I could smell the beer on his breath.

"I really need to find my friend." I said and lunged for the door but he grabbed me from behind and threw me onto the bed.

"Please leave me alone." I whimpered as he hovered over me.

"Aw but we were just getting started." He said with a sadistic smile and I knew then that I wasn't going to get away but I was going to bloody try.

I screamed and kicked, scratched, bit and even spat in his face but nothing seemed to be working so I was crying hard and prayed silently that the mattress would swallow me up into the abyss. I let my mind go numb and cried myself silently into blackness.

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Okay so I hope that this chapter was alright, if you like the story so far then please hit me with a review. :-)


	3. Chapter 2 Numb

Here is chapter 2, I hope you guys liked the last one she and don't worry she's on her way to camp as we speak ;-)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Camp rock or any of the music/characters from the movie.**

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Chapter 2 Numb

I don't remember how I got home but I woke up in my own bed, my now sticky dress was still plastered to my skin. I looked at the clock next to my bed, it was 10:03am my mum was clattering about in the kitchen but all I wanted to do was curl up and die. I didn't remember how I got home but I did remember him... I remembered everything and in this moment I wanted to die.

Slowly I stepped out from the safety of my blanket and placed my feet firmly on the ground, my body ached so much, some of the pain from the physical abuse but most was psychological. My whole body ached, my heart cried, and my stomach screamed.

I felt sick and ran to the bathroom to empty the contents of my stomach, yesterday's dinner falling into the toilet bowl, I retched until there was nothing left to throw up but still I felt ill.

"Mitchie are you in there we need to talk!" She shouted through the bathroom door and the tone of voice only meant one thing, I was in shit, deep shit.

"Mum I just need to take a shower." I whispered back, I couldn't shout back it was like I didn't have the power too.

"I want you sat at the kitchen table in 20 minutes sharp or I will break down that door!" She said back sternly. Usually I would have said something back, pleaded my innocence but I wasn't innocent not anymore. Sure I wasn't guilty of getting so drunk that I passed out like she thought, but I was guilty of something else, something worse and I knew that if I told her she would never be able to look at me again.

I turned on the shower letting the steam fill the room as I peeled the dress off my sticky skin and stared down at my naked frame.

I was bruised, my breasts filled with blemishes that shouldn't be there, further down on my abdomen there was the faint mark of a handprint and my inner thighs were blue. I stepped into the shower wanting, no needing to get him off me. I scrubbed, and scrubbed hoping that if I scrubbed hard enough the memories would disappear down the drain with the dirt. I closed my eyes for just a second revelling in the numb feeling that had encompassed my skin and enveloped my whole body and just sat enjoying the heat.

I must have lost track of time as I butchered my skin because I was snapped out of my thoughts by someone banging furiously on the bathroom door.

"Mitchie, Mitche, are you okay." It was my mum and she sounded pretty worried.

I turned off the shower and wrapped a towel securely around my body making sure all my marks and blemishes were covered before I unlocked the door.

"I'm okay." I said quietly unable to look my mum in the eye.

"Honey I've been knocking on that door for 10 minutes I was so close to calling your father to come break it down." She said as she pulled me into a hug.

I tried not to flinch as the closeness of our bodies aggravated my sores and my memories.

"Sorry." I mumbled.

"Right well you go and get dressed then we can discuss last night." She said but some of the anger I had heard in her voice earlier had subsided.

I stalked off to my room and shut the door firmly behind me, my next task was finding an outfit that would cover me up, an outfit that I could hide inside like a tortoise retreating into its shell. Another 10 minutes passed before I emerged from my room wearing long, blue jeans and a black hoodie that was about two sizes too big for me. It was warm. It was safe.

When I reached the kitchen my mum was already sat at the table flipping through today's news paper. I stalked round the edge of the table trying not to look my mum in the eye, I knew she could tell there was something wrong with me but I couldn't tell her, she would think I was vile.

"Mitchie sweetie what is going on with you this morning?" She asked softly and reached out to touch my hand, I instinctively pulled it away feeling guilty when I did.

"I'm just tired." I mumbled hoping she would just let the whole thing go.

She sighed audibly and the spoke again, "You know last night when Cassie's mum brought you back here I was a little shocked, I didn't think you were the type of girl that participated in underage drinking." It wasn't the words that stabbed at my heart, but the way they were spoken, the lack of faith, the amount of disappointment. What would she sound like if she knew the truth?

"I'm not, I wasn't, what does it matter now anyway." I replied half-heartedly, it was done and there was nothing I can do to change it.

There was silence for a few moments before I decided to speak again, "Mum I'm sorry." I whispered, my voice cracking on the end of the last word as I forced the tears collecting behind my eyes not to fall.

"It's okay Mitchie I forgive you." She said sweetly and this time I let her take my hand resisting the urge to pull it away.

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(One week later...)

"I think something's going on with her she's been so quiet, she's not eating as much, I think this might be what she needs." I heard my mum say to my dad as I opened the front door.

"Connie if you think it's a good idea then I'm all for it I just hope Mitchie goes for it." He replied in the same quiet voice.

"Good okay we'll tell her when she gets back from school." She finished and I figured that was my queue to shut the front door and stalk into the kitchen.

"Hey Mitchie how was school?" My dad asked as casually as he could.

"Fine." I replied not in the mood for small talk.

My mum gave him a quick look before walking over to me.

"So me and your dad were talking and well I've been offered a job for the summer, Mitchie you and I are going to Camp rock!" She squealed with excitement and I tried my best to meet her enthusiasm.

"That'll be great mum, when do we leave?" I asked trying my hardest to sound eager.

"We leave in two days so get packing honey." She chirped and patted me softly on the shoulder.

Maybe it would be okay to get away for a while, no one would know me there and I could hide in the woods and be alone. I closed my bedroom door and began to pack some clothes into a large holdall contemplating the idea of escaping.

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**I hope you guys like this chapter, now I know it might be a bit annoying but if you have the time please can you drop me a tiny review, even if it is just to say hey :)**


	4. Chapter 3 All at once

**Okay so here is the next chapter, this story seems to be coming along much faster than any other that I have written so that's always good. There was a delay in uploading due to my internet and its temperamental abilities, sorry. Enjoy :-)**

**As always I do not own camp rock etc.....**

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Chapter 3 All at once

The catering van pulled into a large space reserved for staff parking, I could hear music playing behind me, kids chattering and girls screaming gleefully. It sounded like camp should sound but I found all the noise unsettling.

Me and my mum both climbed out of the white van and were almost instantly greeted by a overly jolly English man. "Good morning sweeties and welcome to camp rock!" He said cheerfully receiving a small woop from my mother and a rather forced smile from me.

"Hey I'm Connie Torres from Connie's catering, and this here is my daughter Mitchie." She said and gestured in my direction.

"Brown and it's lovely to meet ya." He said sticking out an arm for me to shake, I wasn't expecting it and jumped a mile back before regaining my composure and shaking his hand timidly.

My mum let out a nervous chuckle and mumbled something about me being shy around people I just met then went to collect our things out of the back of the van. Brown then led the way to our cabin, showing us the kitchen as we passed. I could see all the campers staring at me when I walked by but I just kept my head down and blocked them all out, I was invisible in my school and I would be invisible here, just the way I wanted to be.

"Here we are then guys, I hope everything is alright for ya." Brown said politely as he finished showing us around the room.

"It's great isn't it Mitchie?" My mum asked.

"Oh..um yeah great." I replied sounding less than convincing.

"Well you can go and have some fun if you want, I'm just gonna go over a few things with the staff anyway." My mum said with an encouraging smile and I guessed that she wanted me to leave, so I did.

When I left the cabin all the kids seemed to be staring at me, I heard some whispers and a group of people were pointing and laughing. My heart started to beat faster and I quickened my pace, I couldn't do this, I couldn't be here yet and suddenly my quick walking turned into an all out run and even though I had no idea where I was going I didn't want to stop. I was paying so little attention to my surroundings that I didn't notice the guy standing directly in my path until I collided with his chest and bounced back into a heap on the floor. I was making a habit of this.

"Ow." I whimpered a little too loudly rubbing my sore ankle, another bruise appeared to add to my collection but I was too scared to look up at who I had hit.

"What the hell is your problem?" He asked as he dusted himself off.

"Hey I'm talking to you, are you deaf?" He said a little louder as he started to walk toward me angrily.

"Sorry... Please don't come any closer." I whispered like a frightened child, he must have been able to sense my fear because the footsteps stopped.

There were a couple of minutes where neither of us said anything or moved then he broke the silence.

"Are you okay?" He asked, staring at my now blue ankle that I was still rubbing.

"It's fine." I said sharply as he edged his way closer to me.

"It doesn't look fine." He countered and shuffled a little bit further along the ground. When he was almost next to me my head bolted upright, I looked him in the eye and told him to stop. Only after did I realise who I was with.

"Alright, alright chill I just want to make it's okay." He paused for a about a second then asked, "What's your name?"

"Mitchie." I replied.

"Hi Mitchie I'm Shane." He said and slowly put his hand out for me to shake, I reciprocated reluctantly.

"So now we're not strangers can I please take a look at your ankle, I promise I won't hurt you." He said so sincerely, I felt my head nodding before I had time to protest.

A he was looking tentatively at my foot I said something that had been going through my head since he introduced myself.

"I already know who you are." I whispered, he was Shane Gray from connect 3, the whole school loved those guys, I used to be partial to their music too.

"Well I thought you might but I also thought you might not respond well to arrogance, I'm still not convinced that you're not about to try make a run for it." He said matter of factly as he carefully removed one of my black shoes.

"Ah.." I croaked as the force of the shoe coming off jolted my leg.

"Sorry." He said then placed my foot onto the floor once again,

"Look I...I need to go, I'm fine really my mum will be wandering where I have gotten too." I said quickly feeling increasingly more uncomfortable around him. I was in the middle of nowhere, alone with some pop star that I didn't know, it reminded me too much of the party and I started to feel sick, my body trembled and my breathing hitched.

"P..please, I...I need to g..go home." I cried between hitched breaths.

"Calm down okay, I'll go get your mum, who is she, are you at the camp?" He replied quickly, he actually seemed scared.

I nodded, "She. w..works. in .the. kitchen. Connie." I said trying hard to control my breathing, I watched as he suddenly disappeared into the distance and the feeling of being alone sent a wave of relief over me. My breathing started to calm a little, although not back to normal I was no longer dizzy and the tears I had barely noticed before were beginning to subside.

I sat and waited patiently for my mum to arrive hoping, one that she wasn't too mad, and two that she didn't ask me any questions.

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**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, thanks to the people that have favourited and my one review so far :), it's really appreciated. Next chapter will be coming very soon!**


	5. Chapter 4 Nothing wrong

**Hey guys I just want to say thank you for all the favourites, and for the reviews they were really sweet so thank you so much and I really hope you like this chapter too.**

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Chapter 4 Nothing wrong

"Mum I told you I'm _fine_." I said determinedly as I laid in my bed, my ankle placed on a pile of pillows and ice pack strategically balanced on top.

"Honey you didn't look fine earlier and that blue colour your ankle has turned doesn't look fine either." She said in her serious voice.

"Well I was just a bit shocked, that's all." I replied, I knew that it was so much more than that but I wasn't technically lying. I was a bad liar.

She furrowed her brows and came to examine my ankle closer. "I really wish you would let a doctor take a look at it, or at least take some pain killers."

"I'm fine honestly, you can go do whatever you need to I promise I won't run off." I said, as if I could go anywhere anyway.

She seemed to be contemplating it and then shook her head again, "Mitchie what if you need to use the bathroom or you get hungry or something?" She said worriedly.

"I'm fine, I'll manage." I said again.

This time she gave in and left me alone in the cabin, alone to rest, to think, to dream. Before I knew it I was been pulled into one of the most horrific nightmares I had ever experienced and I had a feeling that this was only the beginning.

"NOOO" I woke up screaming, there was sweat on my forehead but I was freezing. I looked over and noticed that the cabin door had been flung open and there was a girl with long, brown hair tied into a ponytail standing beside my bed staring at me.

"A..Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. I wanted to scream 'who the hell are you' at her but I was still in a state of shock from my dream so I just looked at her dumbfounded.

"I'm Caitlyn by the way, your mum asked me to check on you and well, when I heard you screaming I thought you were been attacked or something so I ran in and forgot to shut the door." She said extremely quickly.

Why in the hell would my mum send some randomer to check on me? How did she know that this was my cabin? And why was she looking at me like I was dying?

"You're Mitchie right because if I got the wrong cabin I would just totally die of embarrassment." She said quickly, she was definitely a little bit to chirpy for my liking but she seemed nice enough.

I nodded my head and shifted slightly in my bed shivering a little, it didn't look cold outside but I didn't like the door open.

"Crap I'll go shut the door." Caitlyn ran over to the door, closed it, can arrived back at the side of my bed in seconds.

"So what happened to your ankle?" She asked politely.

"I.. erm had a little accident in the woods." I replied shyly.

"Ah man that sucks, will you still be able to do the classes, they start tomorrow and apparently the dance class is being run by Shane Gray!" She squealed a bit when she said his name and I just rolled my eyes.

"What you don't think he's cute?" She asked, I swear we met like 5 minutes ago and now she's acting like we're best friends.

"Sure." My single word answer stopping her questioning.

"Look I know we've only just met and stuff but if you feel better later you should come to the camp fire gathering, I'm in the cabin 2 doors down." She was so nice to me, I wandered if she secretly felt sorry for me because I looked so pathetic but that puppy dog look on her face had me wanting to agree.

"I'll ask my mum." I replied trying as best I could to be polite.

"Okay Mitchie, it was nice to meet you and I will see you tonight... hopefully." Caitlyn said before skipping out the cabin flashing me a smile before she shut the door.

I sighed a little bit once she left, I wanted to be able to go with her, make friends, chat, laugh, smile, but I didn't know if I could. I didn't know how I would react and I couldn't just run off into the woods again, it was late, dark and my mum would definitely get worried.

I decided to kill some time waiting for my mum to get back to the cabin so I hobbled to the shower and spent the best part of an hour scrubbing my skin, inspecting my scars and then proceeded to dry my hair. My mum would be back soon.

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"Mitchie if you're ankle is okay I want you to go, you love singing and Caitlyn seems like a sweet girl." Mum said whilst she made my bed, I had obviously ruined it whilst lying in it all day.

I was pacing, well limping up and down the room fighting an internal battle in my mind, I wanted to go for my mum and for Caitlyn, but I was scared and a big part of me just wanted to curl up and let everything that happened to me over the past week swallow me until I was no more.

"Well are you going or not, Caitlyn will be leaving soon." My mum broke me out of my trance, no if I wanted people to believe that there was nothing wrong with me then I had to go, I would just stick to Caitlyn like the Siamese twin she never wanted.

"Okay." I nodded and then walked as fast as my ankle would allow out of the room. By the time I reached Caitlyn's cabin she was waiting outside, as soon as she saw me she gave a surprised smile and an excited wave.

"Hey I'm so glad you decided to come, how's your foot?" She asked sweetly.

"Better now that it's gotten some exercise, thanks." I replied probably sounding monotonous but I was trying.

"So what do you do, are you a dancer or a singer, do you play an instrument? I myself am destined to be the next big music producer." She chirped as we walked, I cracked a half smile at her enthusiasm when she mentioned her future career plans, it wasn't a match for how I used to smile, but it was a start.

"I write songs and sing a little, I can play guitar and piano a little too but I don't do it much anymore, I'm really just here to help my mum." I replied, I had never thought I was an amazing singer, sure I could hold a tune but so could a lot of people, and now I just didn't feel like singing. I had been writing a lot though.

"Oh I bet you're great I can just tell. You should really think about doing something for final Jam if you decide you want to maybe we could work on something together!" She said enthusiastically.

"I'll think about it." I replied just as we approached the area. There were so many people just sat around a huge fire. Some toasting marshmallows, others just chatting amongst themselves me and Caitlyn just found a spare log to sit on and I carefully lowered myself down, making sure that there was no room for anyone other than Caitlyn to sit next to me.

A few minutes later a red haired woman walked to the front of the group, read a few notices and then started to jump around excitedly. "Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys I would like to welcome to the stage, the one, the only SHANE GRAY." She said loudly as she ran off.

Caitlyn and all the other kids jumped up and whooped loudly as Shane took to the stage and made some half hearted speech about camp and 'trying your best' but I could see he wanted to be here about as much as I did. I wasn't really paying much attention until I heard him start to sing, he looked straight at me and I felt so uncomfortable I almost squirmed under his gaze. He had an amazing voice but I just couldn't get past the fact that he was a guy, and he was capable of doing the same thing that _he_ did. Now I wanted to go home.

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**Hope you enjoyed this and if you're a Demi fan check out 'We'll be a dream' by we the kings feat Demi, it's amazing!!**


	6. Chapter 5 Remember to breathe

**Hey guys thanks for reading this far, sorry this one took me a little longer, I've been revising for exams... I really appreciate the reviews and faves etc and I do believe that things are going to start getting more interesting from now on. I'm trying to title every chapter with the name of a song so far it's going well. Hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp rock, duh.... **

Chapter 5 Remember to breathe

The campfire jam was over and everyone, including Caitlyn had gone back to their cabins ready for tomorrow's classes. The fire was beginning to die out but the dull glow that it omitted was comforting, I stared up into the clear night sky gazing at the stars, I knew that if I stayed out here longer I wouldn't have to sleep and no sleep meant no nightmares.

I started humming quietly to myself, stupid Shane Gray had gotten a tune stuck in my head and I couldn't get it out, what was more frustrating was that I didn't actually know the words to the song, I preferred to sing but I hadn't sung since the incident. I was in a world of my own when I heard a twig break behind me and whirled my head round so quickly my neck hurt.

"Sorry I didn't mean to scare you." Shane said sweetly. I just stared at him dumbfounded, I was quite happy been alone.

"It's okay, could you just stay over there?" I asked as kindly as I could, I couldn't stop him from sitting out here but I would feel better if he was further away from me.

He moved to a log that was about 2 meters away from mine but directly opposite me.

"Is this okay?" He asked, I nodded and so he sat down.

"So how's the ankle?" The dark haired boy glanced down at my foot and then turned his gaze to my face.

"It's okay." I replied simply, he seemed bothered by my lack of conversation, I heard him sigh.

"You're not like the other girls you know, you don't seem to like me very much." He looked at me, I could tell he was being serious but he had a shy smile on his face.

"I'm just indifferent, to everyone, not just you." I replied as casually as I could, he was staring at me intently.

"You can't be indifferent to _everyone_, you must like some people or hate some people." He stated simply.

I just shrugged my shoulders and looked down at the floor, his onyx stare was unnerving, mainly because he was right, there was one person that I hated.

"Why are you out here alone at this time of night, won't your mum be wondering where you are?" Shane asked curiously, he ran a hand through his dark hair as he did.

"Well why are you out here?" I snapped back, damn that sounded meaner than I intended.

"I like to sit outside, get away from everything, it helps me think." He replied and he didn't even sound mad.

There was a slight breeze and I shivered as a chill cut through me, "What time is it?"

Shane checked his watch, "A quarter to midnight." He replied.

"I better be going now, my mum will be getting worried you're right." I said as I raised myself up from the log, my ankle still hurt a little so I was careful not to put too much weight onto it.

"Be careful Mitchie." He said as he watched me hobble away.

I just wrapped my arms around myself tightly and headed toward my cabin where my mum would be waiting with a scowl on her face.

"See you in class tomorrow?" Shane called as I got further away from him. I looked back and smiled before continuing toward my destination. I didn't want to have a faceoff with my mother, I didn't want to dream.

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I was awoken that night by my mother shaking me excessively, I was having another nightmare and from the way my mother was looking at me, it had been a pretty violent one.

"Mitchie honey are you okay, I haven't seen you have a nightmare that bad in a long time?" She asked seeming very concerned.

"I'm okay." I mumbled quietly. I looked up at her timidly and could see how worried she was by the look on her face.

"I'll just go splash my face then get back into bed, I'm fine." I said again hoping that it would reassure her. She let me pass but I knew that she wasn't satisfied, she was getting suspicious but I didn't know how I could tell her, or if I even wanted to.

I didn't manage to get back to sleep that night so by 6am I was pretty tired and I still had to help out in the kitchen before class, great. I clambered slowly out of bed feeling a little dizzy from lack of sleep, I hoped my mum would let me have coffee because I really felt like I needed some. I plodded along to the bathroom and showered as quickly as I could, checking the faded bruises on my skin. Soon there would be no physical trace of the party, just mental scars that would haunt my soul forever.

"Mitchie honey we need to be going if we're gonna get breakfast out on time." My mum called through the bathroom door.

"Right I'll just be a second." I replied snapping out of my depressing daze. I dabbed my damp hair with a towel, pulled on a pair blue of jeans, a black t-shirt and a comfy navy blue hoodie before heading out to greet my mum.

"Ready?" She asked looking me up and down.

"Yeah I'm ready but I could really do with a coffee." I replied groggily.

My mum just chuckled and patted me gently on the head, "come on we'll get you a pick me up then we can get to work."

It took us almost a full hour to prepare breakfast, there were pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, French toast and so much more, mum really had gone all out on this one. I wasn't really very hungry because preparing all the food could really put a damper on your appetite but Caitlyn walking in the room and insisted I come sit with her. My mum was all too happy to side with Caitlyn and within a matter of seconds my apron had been discarded and I was sat at a table holding a mug of coffee in one hand and a small plate of food in the other.

"Mitchie you have to tell your mum the food is amazing, so much better than last year." Caitlyn said sweetly, her mouth half full of waffle.

I chuckled a little shocking myself a bit, I hadn't given an honest laugh in a while.

"I'll tell her you think so." I said as I watched her eat with such enthusiasm.

"Hey aren't you gonna have something to eat, you really should because the classes can be pretty demanding, in dance you really do work up quite the appetite!" She chirped happily.

I rolled my eyes and took a bite out of the pancake doused in syrup that my mum had shoved on my plate. "There you happy now?" I asked sarcastically.

She shrugged her shoulders and smiled, "It'll have to do because the first class starts in like 5 minutes and you are coming."

"Caitlyn, w..wait what class is it?" I asked as she dragged me up from my seat.

"Dance." She replied with a sly smile as she continue to pull be toward the 'dance' cabin.

I haphazardly waved a bye to my mum then focused my attention on keeping up with Caitlyn without having my arm pulled out of its socket or falling flat on my face, again. We reached the cabin pretty quickly, it was full of students all looking ready to go I went to the farthest corner of the room and stuck close to Caitlyn, I was not looking forward to this.

I took a few deep breaths, people were looking at me and it made me nervous, "_Caitlyn I don't like it, people are staring."_ I whispered to the stretching brunette next to me.

"It's cool Mitchie, it's just because you're new and kinda pretty, Tess the blonde girl is just eyeing up the competition." She stated simply, how she could be so cavalier about these kind of things is beyond me.

I was all set to run out when a tall, dark haired boy walked into the room and every single girl in the room either sighed or squealed.

"OH MY GOD IT'S SHANE GRAY!" That Tess girl shrieked.

"That's right, I'm Shane Gray and I'll be teaching this class all camp so I hope you're all ready." He said loudly.

My heart was pumping hard in my chest, great why did he have to be teaching this class, I can't dance and I didn't want to be this close to all these bodies. The music suddenly started to blare out of the stereo, beats pounding loudly around the room, people were chatting and I could feel my breathing becoming laboured.

"Let's get started then." He said and turned to look in my direction.

That was it, I had to get out of there and without one glance back I took off out the door and ran into the woods, to the same place I had ran when I first arrived here.

"_It's gonna be okay Mitchie just breathe._" I said to myself slowly as I tried to calm myself down, I was crying again.

Great, what a wonderful start to camp, I just hoped things started to get better and soon.

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**Okay so I'm sorry it took me a while, I have exams.... not fun! Anyway I hope you liked this chapter and hopefully the next one will be up sooner! **


	7. Chapter 6 Glass

**Hey guys thank you again for the reviews, they are really appreciated, I love writing this story and it's just nice to know people are enjoying reading it too :) This is a bit of a long chapter so I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own camp rock...**

Chapter 6: Glass

I leant on a big oak tree and let the tears spill from my eyes until they burned and I could cry no more. It was so overwhelming, the people, the music, the small room, it reminded me too much of the party and I just couldn't be in there. I knew that Caitlyn would be worried about me and would probably look for me but she wouldn't find me, only Shane knew about this place and he wouldn't come looking.

It was a warm day, the birds were singing above me and everything looked so perfect, I closed my eyes and tried to absorb my beautiful surroundings hoping that some of the peace and beauty would transfer to me. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I didn't notice the sky beginning to turn a darker shade of blue, I didn't notice the lack of birds tweeting or the dark haired boy approaching me. It wasn't until I heard said boy clearing his throat that I broke my trance.

"You know Caitlyn and your mum have been looking for you for almost 3 hours now." He stated as if I was meant to know, that would make it almost lunch time.

"No, I didn't even realise I had been gone that long." I replied, as he walked over and sat a few meters from me. He must have noticed that I didn't like to be close to people, how very observant.

"Why did you run out of my class like that, I didn't even get a chance to show you my mad skills." He joked.

"How did you know where to find me?" I asked avoiding his previous question.

He shrugged his shoulders, "I figured since you weren't anywhere else you might have been here, it's the same place you ran to the when you first got here."

There was silence for a while before Shane spoke again, "You didn't answer my question, why did you run away?" He asked sincerely.

I twiddled my fingers nervously hoping that I could come up with a lie or some reason for leaving without telling the truth but I came up with nothing.

"I.. It's... I don't really want to talk about it." I replied nervously looking directly into his magnetic eyes.

"Okay, but if you ever decide you want to talk, I'm here." He replied seeming satisfied.

We sat for a while then, neither of us speaking he respected my spatial needs and I felt oddly okay around him, not comfortable but okay, and it was nice.

"Can I ask you a question?" He said softly breaking the silence again; he had a habit of doing that.

"Yes." I replied just as quietly as he had spoken.

"Did something bad happen to you?" He looked at me with genuine concern in his eyes, I had no idea why he cared or how the hell he came to that conclusion but I felt somewhat compelled to answer him.

"_Yes._" I whispered barely able to speak, I faced the floor unable to meet his gaze.

"It's okay Mitchie, you don't have to talk I just never met anyone so sad and yet so alluring." His cheeks seem to redden at the second part of the sentence; it was as if he hadn't mean to say that part aloud.

"I should probably go back to camp now before my mum has some kind of heart attack or something." I said trying to break the awkwardness that his last comment had created.

"Yeah I'm sure Brown will have something to say if I'm not back at camp soon too, I could walk you back to your cabin if you want, I promise to stay 2 feet away from you at all times." He said sweetly.

"Okay, but remember 2 feet." I said as I pulled myself up from the floor, my legs feeling stiff from sitting so long.

We walked back to my cabin in another comfortable silence, Shane keeping his promise to stay 2 feet away from me the whole way there and when I got back my mum wasn't even mad, she just looked relieved that I was safe. I think Shane being there was probably a big help, she had a little mum crush on him...

"I found her in the woods, getting in touch with nature sometimes helps with the song writing process hey Mitchie?" He said sending me a questioning glance.

"Oh.. um yeah, I wanted some inspiration for a song." I lied badly.

"Mmm hmmm." My mum said and rolled her eyes at me.

"Well now that you're back you can help me finish up in the kitchen, it's almost lunch time and there will be a lot of unhappy campers if the food isn't out on time, then I want you to go find Caitlyn and apologize and if you go to the singing class, please stay in it." Connie said in one huge sentence, she didn't even take a breath, I swear my mother should win some talking award or something.

Shane just chuckled behind me and winked at my mum.

"Right well you say bye to Mr. Gray and I shall meet you in the kitchen in 5." My mum said as she pottered off to finish preparing food.

I turned to face Shane with a nervous glance, how had he been able to read me so quickly when he didn't even know me, he made me feel like glass, he could see right through me but I knew that if I let him get close enough he could drop me and I would shatter into a million pieces.

"So I'll see you later Mitchie, you know before this camp's over I am going to get you to sing." He said with a cheeky grin.

"Bye Shane." I replied as I closed the door to my cabin and quickly got ready to help my mum in the kitchen. I saw Shane stalk off into the distance through the corner of my eye and wondered how he made me feel normal, how he was the only person that I felt like I could talk to, it was too strange. He could hurt me, he could be just like the guy at the party, a sick liar who would take whatever he wanted from me but something inside me made me want to trust Shane, made me believe that he was different.

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When Caitlyn came to lunch she was a little, tiny bit mad.

"Mitchie where the heck were you, I was looking for you for ages and then you... you just show up like nothing happened, where did you go?" She asked loudly, I was a little bit scared she might kill me.

"Put down the fork and I'll tell you." I replied keeping a fair few feet away from her.

She set the fork down on the table and gestured for me to sit with her, I obliged feeling marginally safer now there were no utensils in her hands.

"So where did you go and why did you just bolt?" She asked in a much calmer manner.

"I just got a little... intimidated by the whole thing so I ran into the woods to think, I'm really sorry I worried you I really didn't realise I had been gone so long." I said as apologetically as I could.

She played with her food a little before looking up at me with bright eyes, "Right well you can make it up to me by promising to come to the singing class." She said with a devilish grin.

"Alright fine but I'm sitting in the back." I replied feeling that it was a fair compromise, but alas nothing ever goes as you plan it in your head, half an hour after our little conversation I was sat at the front of the class with Caitlyn grinning beside me as we waited for Brown to enter the room.

"_I never agreed to let you sit at the back._" Caitlyn whispered to me as I sat with a pout on my face.

I just rolled my eyes at her and continued to face the front, he was late on the first day which I personally didn't appreciate. I was just about to tell Caitlyn that I was leaving when he bombarded into the room with a huge smile on his face. Wonderful now I was stuck here for the next hour.

"Right as you know, or may have guessed this is music class, and in here we work on our wonderful music ability. Isn't that right Tess?" He asked the blonde texting at the back of the room.

"What?" She asked rudely, this girl seemed to have a serious attitude problem.

"Miss Tyler you can either turn that phone off and pay attention in my class, or leave." Brown responded matter of factly.

"I'm done now anyway." She replied placing her phone in her pocket and flicking her long, blonde, hair behind her shoulders.

"Right then let's get started." He said using his index finger to point at individuals in the class, I just lowered myself in my seat and prayed that he didn't point to me but luck was just not on my side.

"You." He said, the finger pointing to my desk.

"Me?" I asked hoping that there had been some kind of misunderstanding.

"Yes Mitchie, the finger doesn't lie get up here and show everyone what you're made of." He replied excitedly.

"Erm.. I don't, I, can I just play something instead?" I asked hopeful, I didn't feel like singing.

The British man gestured toward the piano set in the corner of the class room and I headed toward it feeling both relieved and extremely nervous but I knew that I could play. I let my fingers run softly across the keys before I started to play a melody that I wrote before I came to camp, I knew this piece like the back of my hand and it required no vocals.

Everyone was watching me but I was so into the piece that everyone around me seemed to disappear, I forgot how much I loved music, how free it made me feel, how it made me forget and relive everything all at the same time. I was in a daze when I played the last chord and looked up timidly at my class not expecting the applause that erupted from them.

"Well Mitchie that was quite something, your mum said you were a singer, she didn't mention you were also quite the little composer." Brown praised kindly.

"_Thank you_" I whispered shyly before returning to my seat.

"Mitchie you were awesome, seriously." Caitlyn chirped beside me.

The rest of class passed quickly and once it was over I found myself dying to get back to my cabin, grab my song book, and run out into the woods to think. I was on my way back when I bumped into the one and only Shane Gray, he had been lurking behind the hut.

"W..what are you doing here?" I asked a little confused.

"Nothing, I heard you playing and I have to say you are amazing." Shane replied.

I blushed furiously and looked up at him with a shy smile. _"Thanks._" I said before turning in the opposite direction and walking the long way back to my cabin.

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**Hope you all liked this chapter, the next one will be up asap. P.s. Thanks for wishing me good luck for my exams, only one more to go!**


	8. Chapter 7 Breakdown

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it's really appreciated. This chapter is a little bit dramatic.... but I hope you like it. Ps In the last chapter when Mitchie is playing I didn't have a specific piece in mind, but it would be something slow but light if that makes sense...**

Chapter 7 Breakdown 

I arrived back at my cabin and started frantically searching for my yellow songbook, I had writing stuff in it after the party but I couldn't get anything right, I couldn't get what I wanted to say out and now I felt like I would explode if I didn't. I was pulling clothes out of my case when my cell phone dropped to the floor, I had almost forgotten that I brought it with me but I put it in my front pocket and continued looking for my book.

About 15 minutes later the book was in my hand and pretty much everything else was on the cabin floor. I pushed my clothes under my bed so my mum wouldn't see them, grabbed a pen and small piece of paper from the top draw of my beside table and scribbled a note to my mum.

Mum I've gone to the woods to write, will be back by 6 to help with dinner.

Don't worry, Mitchie xx

I placed the note on her dressing table, picked up my guitar and headed to my new special place in the woods. Once I arrived I decided that I would turn on my phone, I wasn't expecting any messages or anything but I secretly hoped that Lucy had messaged me or something, we hadn't spoken since I refused to tell her what happened at the party.

I stared at the screen as it blinked to life and was all but ready to give up when it beeped twice and a box appeared suggesting that I had one message and a voicemail.

I opened the text message, it had been sent 2 days ago and was from Lucy.

'_Hey Mitch, look I'm sorry, so see you when you get back? Luce xo_ ' I didn't really know what to think about the message but I was grateful for the message.

Next I checked my voicemail, I placed the phone to my ear and listened as a male voice echoed down the line.

'_Hey Michelle, it's Darren I just wanted to say that I had an amazing night at the party we should do it again sometime. I was thinking about coming to camp you never did get me another beer.' _

There was a slight snigger then the message cut off and I felt numb, it was him, he had my number, he was messaging me, he knew I was at camp. I felt my body trembling and dropped my phone on the ground. In a numb daze I took of my shoes and walked toward the nearby lake, my safe place no longer feeling safe, peaceful, or beautiful, it was tainted just like me.

Once I reached the edge of the lake I stared down into the water, the person that stared back at me was a mere shadow of myself, everything I was had changed in a week, stolen from me by some guy and he was never going to let me forget. I let these thoughts wash over me as I stepped off the grass and into the water. I felt my body falling deeper and deeper, I watched as it got darker and became harder to see, I let the water wash away all the thoughts of him and then I started to panic. I didn't want to die, I just wanted to forget.

I felt my body weaning as I struggled to reach the top of the lake, struggled toward the light but I was running out of air. My arms were tired and my legs felt stiff, tears fell from my eyes unseen as they melded with the water from the lake. I closed my eyes.

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"Mitchie please wake up." I heard a familiar voice say.

Was I dead? I didn't know but I didn't feel dead, my chest hurt, my head ached and I could see nothing but black. If I was dead I seriously hoped this wasn't heaven but a rest stop on the way.

"Mitchie please." The voice said again a little more emotional.

I tried hard to remember who it was, my eyes fighting against the darkness as I tried desperately to look at him, my chest screaming as I frantically tried to breathe then finally it happened. I started to cough erratically, my throat burned but the pain was balanced out by the cool rush of air entering my lungs, I was not dead.

I slowly opened my heavy eyes to reveal a very anxious looking Shane Gray, he was dripping with water from head to toe and I realised that he must have saved me.

"_Shane._" I croaked, I had wanted to say something other than his name but my throat hurt too much.

"Mitchie I thought you were dead, why did you do that. I saw you... you just stepped in like it was the most normal thing in the world." He said his voice showing pain.

I tried to sit up but my head felt funny from the lack of oxygen, I didn't know how to explain, I hadn't been thinking straight and I didn't really want to die.

"_I'm sorry._" Was the only thing I could come up with before I started to cry again, I was so surprised that there were any tears left in me.

I Shivered when a cool breeze passed over me and watched as Shane seemed to be fighting the urge to come close to me, I tried to it up again and when I almost fell back down his instincts won and he placed his arms supportively around me.

"We should get you to a doctor or something."Shane said as he looked down into my bloodshot eyes.

"_No you can't I'm fine and my mum will find out and make me go home._" I replied, my voice still a little hoarse.

"Look Mitchie fine people don't try drown themselves." Shane replied, his voice laced with concern.

"I.. I didn't mean to, I did at first but then I realised I didn't want to die, I tried to fight." I said still crying.

"Well you need to go back to your cabin and change into some dry clothes, we can tell your mum that we had a water fight or something on one condition." He said seriously.

"What?" I asked hopeful.

"You promise never to do anything this stupid ever again and if you feel like it come and find me." He said sincerely, his dark eyes melting deep into my soul.

"Okay, I promise." I replied.

Shane helped me up from the side of the lake and we walked to collect my stuff from by the tree, everything in the exact place I left them. I looked at my phone, the voicemail still open and quickly shut it off. I thought I saw Shane giving me a curious look but it was so fast that I could have been imagining it. I wanted to be able to tell him why instead of him looking at me with strange eyes, but I just couldn't, he would never talk to me again, nobody would.

When we arrived back at my cabin I thanked the high heavens that my mum wasn't in, no questions asked, no lies.

"I'll just wait outside while you change and stuff then I'll go find myself some new clothes." Shane said stepping outside the cabin door and seating himself on the ground.

"I'll be quick." I replied as I ran back into the cabin and pulled opened my case, it was empty. I then remembered that I had pulled everything out of it looking for my songbook and had to find clean clothes from under the bed. Eventually I found a suitable pair of jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and a black cardigan, I pulled the items on as quickly as I could and rushed back out to find Shane.

"Sorry I took so long, I couldn't remember where I put my clothes." I muttered nervously.

"It's cool." He replied and stood up from his sitting position.

I gave him a small smile and followed behind him as we made our way to his cabin, no one else on camp knew which cabin Shane was staying in although they could probably work it out quite easily.

"Mitchie, why did you let yourself fall in the lake?" Shane asked with concern.

"I don't want to talk about it." I replied quickly.

"I think you should, whatever it is you shouldn't hurt yourself over it." Shane replied sincerely. I knew he had a point but if I told him he would change his mind, he would throw me in the river. It was all my fault for going to the party.

"It's not that simple." I replied just as we reached his cabin.

Shane looked down at me, his eyes laced with so many emotions before turning toward the cabin door. "I'll be back before you know it, don't run off anywhere." He said before heading inside.

I took a seat on the ground as he had done outside my cabin and stared up at the white clouds that gracefully moved across the blue sky. Just as I was about to drift off into a dream world Shane came bounding out of his cabin dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He came and sat himself beside me.

"I never asked you, what were you doing out in the woods today?" Shane enquired.

"I just wanted to go somewhere quiet to write, everything felt okay, I even took my guitar but then it changed. It's like I'm not meant to sing or play music anymore." I said sadly.

"Mitchie if your voice is as beautiful as that composition you played earlier then you should sing, if it makes you happy then you were meant to play." He replied so sincerely.

I blushed under his gaze, a habit which I was beginning to grow tiresome of.

"What happened to you?" He said again with such compassion I almost burst into tears.

"Shane I... I can't, I want to but I..I'm just not ready." I replied.

"Will you sing something for me?" He asked sweetly.

I turned to look into his onyx eyes, eyes so full of thought and riddled with emotion and I could barely breathe. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and started to sing the first song that entered my mind, The scienist by Coldplay. An odd song for my voice, I could feel Shane's stare on me but I just kept my gaze firmly on the floor until I had sung enough.

There was a few moments silence and I slowly lifted my head up to look in his direction. "Mitchie that was... It was amazing." 


	9. Chapter 8 Under my skin

**Sorry I took so long, I had to move some stuff from my uni house to my house at home so things have been a little delayed. Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter and I hope you all keep reading. **

**AN: In the last chapter Mitchie sings 'The scientist' I had in mind a cover by Natasha Bedingfield, check it out!**

Chapter 8 Under my skin

Shane and I sat and talked until I had to leave to go help my mum in the kitchen, I was surprised at how badly I didn't want to leave. He had saved my life today and I was glad, when I was near him I almost forgot about everything else and for that, I was grateful. Whilst I helped my mum put out the food for the evening I started to wonder about the message from Darren. What did it mean? What did he want? Would he come to camp? The questions whirled around in my mind and my hands started to lightly shake as I pictured a number or unfortunate scenarios in my head. I tried taking a deep breath but it didn't work and for the first time I wished Shane was here next to me. Obviously he couldn't be, he was a famous pop star, he was mobbed by girls everyday of his life everywhere he went and I was probably just some sad-act that he felt sorry for, but I didn't mind.

"Mitchie honey you almost done?" My mum asked from the kitchen.

"Erm yeah just have to put a few more cookies out and I think we're good." I replied.

My mum came through into the dining hall and gave me a small hug, "_I miss your smile._" She whispered before releasing me.

The words hit me like a ton of bricks, it felt as if my stomach had dropped 50ft, I was making my mum sad too and I didn't want that. I held back the tears that were threatening to spill and took a small breath.

"You can go now, Caitlyn will be here soon and you should get the food while it's warm." She spoke as if she hadn't just said those words to me.

"Thanks mum." I replied sincerely hoping that she knew I was thanking her for more than just the food.

I took off my apron and grabbed a plate from the side, helped myself to a cheeseburger and some fries then took a seat at an empty table awaiting Caitlyn's arrival. I ate the fires one by one and was almost done with them when Caitlyn arrived in the dining hall, the place was practically full and I wondered why she was this late today.

"Hey Caitlyn." I said looking up from my plate.

"Hi Mitchie." She replied quietly, something was bothering her.

"What's up?" I asked, if she was down then there was no hop in hell for me.

"I miss home a little bit that's all." She replied. Homesick, I could handle that.

"Hey it's alright, you can call your mum from my phone if you want or we can skip lunch and go do something to clear your head." I chirped up hoping to bring her back to her usually chipper self.

"The second part sounds like a plan but I'm not skipping lunch, it looks good!" The sweet brunette said with her usual enthusiasm, and I was relieved.

"So I was thinking, we should work on something for the final jam." Caitlyn said as she took a bite out of her taco.

"I don't know if I'm gonna.. I mean I'm not sure if I want to do the final jam." I replied nervously.

"Are you crazy! You play the piano crazy good, and you did promise me we'd do something to help me forget about home." She countered, damn those puppy dog eyes.

"Okay we can start doing something but I'm not good in front of crowds." I replied.

"Sure, sure but just in case you change your mind we'll have something ready." She said in a tone that meant that if she had her way, I would be singing at final jam.

After lunch Caitlyn and I stopped off at my cabin so I could retrieve my infamous song book and my guitar, then went back to Caitlyn's cabin where all her equipment was set up ready to go.

"You had this planned all along didn't you?" I asked eyeing the room suspiciously.

"No, no I swear I wasn't planning on luring you here to play some music for me." She said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Seriously, I've known you like three days and already you have me wrapped around your little finger." I replied.

"So can I hear one of your songs from that book?" Caitlyn asked, pointing to the yellow book that was positioned safely in my hands.

"Erm, not yet I need to warm up and stuff." I replied, I was working on a new song but I wasn't ready for her to hear it. I could have sung one of my older ones to her but I was shy about it.

"I won't judge, please." She said batting her eyelids in my direction and I almost relented but this time something stopped me.

"How about we sing something else first?" I suggested.

"Alright Mitchie but you can't sing someone else's song at final jam." She replied, her voice getting higher at the end of the sentence and I could tell she was teasing.

I rolled my eyes and picked up my guitar, "Okay, I'm not that good and I'm out of practice so you might not even want to perform with me at final jam anyway." I said as I nervously ran my fingers along the strings of my black, acoustic, guitar.

"Mitchie please will you just sing, you can sing anything." Caitlyn pleaded so I took a deep breath and decided to play a song that I sang for my mum. I smiled as I remembered the look on her face when I finished, she was so surprised and proud.

I sang the first few lines no problem then the reality of the song hit me and my voice cracked a little as I sang the next line.

"_I'm starting to feel, all of my bruises imagined are real and I'll get through each day. I'll dig through the bad ones to get to the good ones, who's keeping score anyway?"_

As I reached the chorus I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I strummed the chords on the guitar with more force and closed my eyes as I let the song take over me.

"_And this is my beautiful life, the only thing sudden is everything changes, the lows and the highs and all those goodbyes. As hard as it gets I know it's still amazing to be alive." _

I carried on with the song feeling every word I sang, it was a completely different feeling to when I sang this for my mum, I understood what the song meant, I lived it and I was happy to be alive. I opened my eyes to stare at Caitlyn as I plucked the last few strings on my guitar and whispered the final words to the song.

"_It's a beautiful life..."_ A small tear escaped my eye as I spoke those words but I felt so much better for it.

"So, was it okay?" I asked nervously, Caitlyn was just staring at me wide eyed and she was never quiet.

"Mitchie are you seriously kidding me! Have you heard yourself sing, you're freaking amazing." She said in disbelief. I was just about to reply to her probably rhetorical question when she started to speak again.

"I mean if that's how you sing someone else's song I can't even imagine how amazing one of your own would be, I mean wow." She said excitedly but she was calming down a little.

"Thanks." Was all I could think to say, a woman of many words.

Caitlyn came and sat next to me on her bed and her whole demeanour changed, she looked at me with serious eyes and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Mitchie I know you don't like to talk about private stuff but whatever you thought about whilst singing that song must have really gotten under your skin. I guess what I mean to say is if you need me to talk to then I can listen." I had never seen Caitlyn this serious, it scared me a little but it also made me realise how much she actually cared.

"Thanks Cait, really I appreciate it." I replied giving her a half smile.

"Anyhow we should break this little shindig up, my roommate will be back any minute and you should really get back to your cabin before curfew or you might be forced to miss tomorrow's classes." Caitlyn said breaking up the serious atmosphere that threatened to take over the room.

"Yeah you're right, plus my mum will freak if I'm not back soon but I will see you tomorrow." I replied as I collected my things together.

"Bright and early, I forgot to interrogate you about a certain Mr. Gray." She called to me as I reached the door.

"Night Caitlyn." I said as I left the cabin, a smile gracing my lips as I closed the door, then realisation hit me. Tomorrow I was going to be bombarded with questions about Shane Gray that I couldn't answer, oh what fun lies ahead.

When I was alone in my room thoughts turned for the fun day I had with Caitlyn to the message from Darren. I shouldn't think about him, I didn't want to see his face every time I closed my eyes, every time I tried to dream but I couldn't help it. It was like my brain had been rewired to play the most horrific moment of my life over and over again until I broke down. Caitlyn was right, Darren had gotten under my skin and I didn't know how to get him out.

**I really hope you liked this chapter, it took me a while to think it up and what not. For people who don't know the song Mitchie sang for Caitlyn is 'Beautiful life' By Lindsay Lohan. I know, not really known for her musical abilities but you should check the song out, it's pretty good.**


	10. Chapter 9 Trouble

**Don't hate me, I know it's been a while since I updated but life got in the way... As always I want to thank all of you for reading, special thanks for the reviews and favourites because I love them and it makes me feel appreciated. I've decided to bring Tess into the story a little bit so I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Chapter 9 Trouble

"Caitlyn please I already told you what happened between me and Shane can we talk about something else." I said hopefully, batting my eyelashes in her direction.

I had spent almost the entire breakfast telling her about Shane, everything apart from the 'almost drowning' part that is. I didn't want her to know about that part but now I was getting bored of the questions.

"So does he _like_ you?" Caitlyn asked putting emphasis on the word like.

"Caitlyn we're just friends, well I don't even know if we're friends he just talks to me sometimes, that's all." I replied hoping that she would stop.

"Fine, fine but if anything does happen I want to be the first to know." She said insistently before standing up.

I rolled my eyes and followed the ball of sunshine out of the cafeteria; we were almost out when our path was blocked by the 'lovely' Tess Tyler.

"What do you want?" Caitlyn asked bitterly, I guessed they _really_ didn't get along.

"I came to talk to your little friend." She said sending daggers in my direction that made me want to disappear.

"Well _Mitchie_ doesn't want to talk to you." Caitlyn spat back putting emphasis on my name.

Tess let out a small laugh then grabbed me by the top of my arm and pulled me just outside the doors whilst her minions blocked Caitlyn's exit. She was stronger than she looked and my arm hurt under her grasp.

"Tess what do you want?" I asked trying my best to sound strong but failing miserably.

"Oh Mitchie you should know why I'm here." She said in an abnormally evil tone sending shivers down my spine.

"I.. erm no actually." I replied stuttering a little but I wasn't lying.

"Look _new girl _I don't care how good you are or whatever but I want you to stay away from Shane and stay away from my stage or this trip could turn very bad very quickly." Tess said and I felt genuinely threatened. I couldn't stop hanging out with Shane, and I didn't understand why she cared there was nothing going on.

I didn't say anything in response and was staring at my feet when Caitlyn barged through the doors and stood at my side.

"Tess why don't you just go back where you came from and leave Mitchie alone!" Caitlyn said with such venom that I barely recognised her voice.

"See you girls in class." Tess said in a sickly sweet tone before clicking her fingers and stalking off in the direction of dance class, her minions following closely behind.

Caitlyn turned to face me and put a hand on my shoulder, "Don't let her get to you, she's only mean to people that she's jealous of."

I smiled slightly at her but despite her words of wisdom there was no way that I could ignore Tess, she had already gotten to me and now I had to face her in dance class and manage to avoid the teacher.

"Come on Mitchie let's go to class and dance our butts off!" Caitlyn chirped and pulled me in the direction of the dance cabin.

I was less than enthusiastic about the whole thing, only 20 minutes ago I was actually eager to get to class and see Shane but now I was dreading it knowing that Tess would be watching, and scrutinising my every move. I hated that my friendship with Shane had been tainted even before it had really begun.

I stood at the back of the room awkwardly as everyone else stretched and prepared themselves for the class, apparently dance was intense and stretching was necessary unless you wanted to get cramp. I started to let my mind wander but was quickly brought back to reality with a nudge from Caitlyn.

"Mitchie you better stretch or you might do yourself another injury." She said kindly and gestured down to my almost healed ankle.

I nodded my head at her and started to stretch out all the muscles I knew how too, I just finished when the class went silent and Shane walked into the room. He immediately turned his gaze in my direction, gave me a quick smile and then averted his attention to the class. I hoped Tess hadn't noticed but the look she gave me from across the room suggested that I hadn't been so lucky.

"Right everyone today is a paired session, Caitlyn I want you to pair with Tess." Shane stated simply.

"But Sha-" Caitlyn started to protest but was cut off.

"No buts Caitlyn, Ella and Peggy you can work as a pair." He continued, he then pointed at a few kids I didn't know and paired them up until I was the only one left.

'_Please let me sit out. Please let me sit out.'_ I thought to myself as Shane slowly approached me.

"Looks like you're stuck with me Mitchie." Shane said with a dazzling smile.

"I er, can't I just watch?" I replied nervously, I was staring at the floor but I could feel Tess' stare burning into the back of my head.

Shane noticed my discomfort and gently grabbed the top of my arm and walked me outside the cabin.

"You know I left you 'til last on purpose right?" He said with a little chuckle trying to lighten the mood.

"Um.." I stuttered unable to meet his gaze.

"Mitchie what's wrong?" He asked noticing my mood.

"Well um Tess. She wants me to stay away from y-"

"Mitchie don't finish that sentence, I don't care what Tess wants I don't want you to stay away from me." He said sweetly , I was relieved to know that he wanted me around but I was still nervous about Tess.

"Now come on let's go show them how to dance." Shane said interrupting my thoughts.

He led me back into the cabin and faced the class, I kept my gaze at my feet knowing that Tess would be glaring at me, and tried to focus on Shane's words.

"Right today we are going to do a mirroring exercise but to music, I want you to put emotion into the dances, really show what you're feeling, and remember you're a mirror so you have to stick to what your partner is doing." Shane said confidently before turning on the music and facing me.

"So partner, you want to start us off or shall I?" He asked stepping closer to me. I followed his movement and suddenly felt a little bit uncomfortable at the lack of distance between us.

"You already did." I replied taking a step back and placing my arms by my side, all in time with the beat of the music.

Shane mirrored my move and then did some weird turn, which I did my best to imitate. He chuckled slightly as I almost fell but he rescued me by holding onto my waist.

"So, you're not as graceful as you look then?" Shane half asked, half stated.

"I've never been much of a dancer." I replied just as the music stopped and the class turned to face us.

Shane quickly removed his hands from my hips and cleared his throat, Tess was sending evils in my direction and Caitlyn was smiling at me suggestively and I felt very uncomfortable.

"Right well you guys all did great and I have some business to take care of so you can go early today but tomorrow is going to be intense." He addressed the class and they all departed, I hung back a little hoping to avoid Tess because I knew she was going to kill me.

"Hey Mitchie before you go I wanted to ask if we could hang out later, I want to show you something." Shane said sweetly, he made me nervous, what did he want to show me? My head was telling me to say no but my heart wanted to be near him.

"Erm.. yeah okay, where do you want to meet?" I replied, stupid heart.

"In the woods by the tree at 6pm." He stated before disappearing out of the cabin toward his quarters.

I sighed deeply and wished that I had never gone to that stupid party things could be different, I put my hand in my bag searching for my phone my heart pounding when I realised it wasn't there. It had to be there, if anyone else heard the message from Darren, if anyone else knew my secret I would hate myself. I felt myself start to cry and quickly ran out of the dance hut and into the bathroom of my cabin locking the door behind me.

I turned on the shower and threw up my breakfast in the toilet. I had to find that phone before anyone found out what happened or I would lose everything.

**Okay again I'm sorry I took ages but I'm only human, hope you liked the chapter hopefully another one will come out soon! If you have the time please review, it's much appreciated. Thank you.**


	11. Chapter 10 Tell me why

**I'm trying to make the updates quicker and move the story along but I want to try and make the characters as realistic as possible so yeah, this one is long and is kind of a major part of the plot so please review and let me know what you thought of it! P.S. Take note of how I always use the title of a song for the chapter title, it's hard!**

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't bloody own Camp Rock...**

Chapter 10 Tell me why

I stepped out of the bathroom almost an hour later, my skin burning from the heat of the shower I had just taken but I felt a little better. I headed to my room and noticed that it was 3:30pm, I had missed singing class, which meant that Caitlyn was probably worrying about me, and my mum was probably waiting for me in the kitchen.

I took my time drying my hair, dabbing the ends with a towel and running my hands through it until it was almost dry and fell in loose curls around my face. I straightened my bangs and then pulled on some clothes, anything to distract me from my missing phone. Once I was done I surveyed my appearance in the mirror, my hair looked better than it had done in some time, the heat of the water had brought some colour to my cheeks and I didn't look tired, oh how false an appearance can be.

I moved away from my reflection feeling envious of the way I looked but couldn't feel and headed out of the cabin to help my mum in the kitchen, she was expecting me to be there are 4:15 so I had 20 minutes and decided to take the long route. As I passed Caitlyn's cabin she came running towards me frantically waving her arms in the air.

"Mitchie!" She exclaimed a little breathless.

"Caitlyn?" I replied in a questioning tone pretending I didn't know why she was running at me.

"Where were you this afternoon you missed class?" She asked concerned.

"I was looking for my phone but I couldn't find it then I must have lost track of time." I answered, technically I wasn't lying, just withholding information.

"I can help you find it if you want?" She offered.

"No it's okay, I have to help my mum in the kitchen now but I'll eat dinner with you then I have to go meet Shane." I replied whilst wrapping a piece of hair around my middle finger.

"Yeah cool I'll see you soon then, oh by the way your hair looks great!" Caitlyn compliment before turning back to her cabin and practically bouncing to the door, that girl really was a bundle of sunshine!

After my little chat with Caitlyn I was just on time to help my mum in the kitchen, in fact when I arrived she was stood in the doorway holding out my apron.

"Hey honey, there was me thinking you were going to be late." My mother joked.

"Nope, right on time." I replied taking the apron from her hand and tying it around my waist. When I was done, I headed over to the sink and washed my hands.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked from the sink.

"Could you help Max prepare the burgers, they always taste better homemade and I know how good you are at making burgers." She joked. Man she was on fire this afternoon, first commenting on my tardiness and now my old job.

"Sure, sure." I said rolling my eyes at her comment as she chuckled.

After about 45 minutes Max and I had made over 200 burgers which my mum and Shelly had cooked up and placed in buns. The rest of the food had been prepared and I was allowed to go and eat my lunch too. I washed my hands in the sink again, hung my apron back on the hook and went to leave the kitchen.

"Oh by the way I'm meeting Shane tonight so I'll be back before 10, is that okay?" I asked politely.

"Sure thing honey but make sure the boy walks you back to the cabin." She replied.

"No problem." I said as I dashed out of the kitchen and went to greet Caitlyn. I didn't feel like eating burgers after I had spent the best part of an hour making them so I filled my plate with salad and some pasta.

I took a seat beside Caitlyn and she sighed when she was my plate.

"What, I didn't fancy burgers after I spent 45 minutes making them from scratch, sue me." I said aloud before she could comment.

"Fine, fine whatever, anyway I wanted to ask you about your plans with you know who later." She chirped excitedly.

"Well I don't know what we're doing but I'm kind of nervous, he said he had something to show me." I replied not noticing that Caitlyn was distracted by someone walking over to our table.

When she didn't say anything I looked up at her and noticed she was looking behind me at none other than Tess Tyler.

"What do you want?" Caitlyn spat before I had the chance to say anything.

"I just came to give Mitchie this, but if you're busy I can go." She said holding out my phone with an evil grin.

"W..where did you get that?" I asked weakly, god if she'd looked in it. I started to panic a little.

"I found it on the floor you must have dropped it." She replied, lying through her teeth as she handed it to me.

"Tess will you just Fuck off." Caitlyn said a little loudly causing the attention of a few other people in the lunch hall.

"Oh I'm going, and Mitchie Darren called, he told me to say hi and thanks for the good time." She laughed and I felt sick. She had spoken to Darren, Darren had called this cannot be happening to me.

"Mitchie are you okay? Who's Darren?" Caitlyn asked as I started to shake trying my hardest to hold back my tears.

"He's no one... I..I ha..have to go." I choked and ran out of the room leaving a full plate of salad and a very confused Caitlyn at the table.

I had run into the woods and now sat by the lake where I knew Shane would come meet me soon. I was clutching my phone in my hand and decided that I had to call Cassie, I had to see if Darren had said anything to anyone, I had to call home.

I scrolled down my contacts list until I found her name and hit the call button, my hand trembling as I held the phone up to my ear waiting for her to answer. With every ring my heart rate quickened and I swear it almost stopped when she picked up.

"_Hello, Mitchie?" _She asked confused on the other end of the phone.

"Um yeah it's me, how are you?" I replied nervously.

"_Yeah I'm good, I was worried about you, I haven't heard from you since the party you know."_ She replied sounding a little disappointed.

"Sorry I've just been um distracted with camp and stuff. How are things at home?" I asked.

"_Boring, oh but this cute guy came round asking for your number, said he met you at the party, of course I gave it to him, why didn't you tell me you met someone?"_ She asked sounding a little mad.

"I don't know, must have slipped my mind, anyway I have to go." I said hating the fact that my ex-best friend gave _him_ my number, but she didn't know.

"_Okay Mitch, oh by the way the guy said he might come visit you at camp, you _have_ to call me if anything happens._" She said excitedly and I felt sick again.

"Yeah, bye." I said and hung up before she even had a chance to reply. I was shaking badly again and as I thought about Darren coming here I felt more sick and threw up into the lake.

I managed to move, crawled over to lean on the familiar tree, and closed my eyes, I was just about to drift off when I felt someone sit beside me and I jumped a mile.

"Woah Mitchie it's just me I didn't mean to scare you." I heard Shane's soft voice say.

"S..sorry I guess I'm just a little jumpy." I replied wiping tears from my eyes, all he had done was sit next to me and I was crying. I was an emotional wreck.

"Mitchie what's wrong?" He asked noticing my tears, for a guy he was pretty perceptive.

"Nothing I'll be okay, what did you want to show me?" I asked trying to change the subject.

He furrowed his eyebrows at me and gave me a look that said 'you're not fooling anyone' but didn't say anything more on the subject.

"I um wrote a song and wanted to play it for you since I know you'll be honest with me." He said nervously, it was kind of nice to see him nervous, it made him seem more human.

I gave him a weak smile and gestured toward his guitar, "I'd love to hear you play." I said sweetly and it was true, I did want to hear his song but my head just wasn't all there.

Shane sighed loudly and took my hand in his.

"Mitchie I know something's wrong, you can tell me and I promise I will help you if I can." Shane said, his dark eyes staring deeply into mine.

"_You can't help me, no one can._" I whispered to him, my eyes glancing nervously at our entwined hands as a few small tears fell down my face. I gently pulled my hand free from his and looked back up at him, he was still staring at me intently and I felt both terrified of what might happen to me, but safe in his company. He didn't say anything but reached out and wiped a small tear that had escaped from my eyes and was resting on my cheek.

I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes, trying to swallow back the emotion that the situation had created when my phone started to ring in my pocket. I panicked, I had a feeling about who would be calling me and when I looked at the caller ID my suspicions were confirmed. Darren's name flashed onto the screen, and I couldn't help but inhale sharply and start to shake. Shane must have noticed the change in my demeanour because he instantly moved closer to me offering a small amount of comfort.

"Mitchie who's calling you?" He asked in a demanding tone, but I couldn't answer him, I was practically frozen watching his name flash on the screen.

SPOV

The shy brunette didn't answer me straight away but pulled her cell to her ear and pressed the answer button.

"Darren." She said nervously.

I watched as the girl in front of me turned into a quivering wreck, I couldn't hear what was been said on the other end of the phone but I didn't like the reaction Mitchie had to his words and that's when I did something out of character. I grabbed he phone from Mitchie's hand and brought it too my own ear fuming with rage, I would probably regret what I was about to do but right now all I cared about was Mitchie.

"Listen here punk, I have no idea who the hell you are but I want you to stop calling my friend." I said with a raised voice before hanging up.

I then turned to look at a horrified Mitchie who was sat crumpled in a ball rocking back and forth muttering quietly to herself. She looked so vulnerable and I wanted so much to take her in my arms and make her feel safe, I had known her not even a week and she had affected me more than any other girl I had ever met.

"_He's coming, he's coming."_ I heard her whisper meekly.

"Mitchie who was that, what the hell did he do!" I asked trying not to let my rage for him come out at Mitchie.

I put my arm around her and pulled her close to my chest waiting for her to stop shaking, to speak, to do something.

MPOV

I felt safe in his warm embrace as I contemplated how to answer his question, I was terrified that he would hate me if he knew but I was more scared of what Darren would do if he came and so I made my decision. I shuffled out of his arms, picked up my phone and typed the three words on the screen that I had not uttered aloud since the incident, the three words that I had couldn't say, my fingers trembling with every key that I hit. Once I was done I shakily held my phone up to his face and burst into another flood of tears when I saw the emotions run across his features as he read and understood what the words meant.

It was silent apart from my crying for a few minutes, neither of us moved or spoke, I was going to get up and go back to my cabin when Shane pulled me closer to him.

"Mitchie, it's going to be okay, he won't hurt you again." Shane said to me, his voice laced with so many emotions.

I rested my head on his chest and just let myself cry as he held me, the dark blue of the sky slowly changing to black, then nothing.

**So that was super long and I wanted to do it justice so I would really appreciate your thoughts on this one. It was hard to get the emotions right etc... I hope you all liked it and will keep reading and I'll try to keep the updates fast. XD**


	12. Chapter 11 The great escape

**Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, I really, really appreciated the comments and they were all so nice so thank you! For the people that wanted to know what the text said it read, 'I was raped' Not very cheerful really. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and please review if you have time.**

Chapter 11 The great escape

I opened my eyes to reveal my room in the cabin, I didn't even remember falling asleep let alone walking back to my room but I was most definitely here. I remembered calling Cassie, and the phone call from Darren, and Shane. I told Shane, I must have fallen asleep in the woods and he must have carried me back here. I started to worry about my mum, what she must have thought when she saw him carrying me through the door. Was I late back? Did I have tearstains on my cheeks? What did Shane tell her? I needed to know the answers to all these questions and there was only one person that could give me them.

I quietly slid out of my bed, still fully clothed, and went to look out the window. It was still dark which meant it was still late and I had time to go find Shane and still get back to the cabin before my mum noticed I had been gone. I ran a brush through my matted hair and climbed through my window to avoid been heard.

There was a chill in the air and I wrapped my arms tightly around my torso as I continued to make my way to Shane's cabin, silently cursing myself for not putting on a coat or something warmer. I was very aware of my surroundings, even the wind rustling the trees gave me chills, my heart pounding harder than I ever thought it could and by the time I reached the door of Shane's cabin it was practically beating out of my chest.

I knocked quietly on the door and was startled when he answered it almost seconds after I had knocked.

"Mitchie, what are you doing here?" He asked looking confused. He was still dressed in the clothes he had been wearing earlier and I assumed this meant that he hadn't been able to sleep.

"I um wanted to talk to you but I can't stay long because my mum will notice I'm gone, you don't mind do you?" I replied nervously, barely breathing in between words.

"No, sure I mean yeah we can talk." He answered sweetly.

I shivered a little as the wind picked up slightly and Shane instantly glanced in my direction.

"Mitchie you should come in, you'll freeze out there." He said and stepped out of the doorway gesturing for me to enter his cabin. I was nervous, I hadn't been inside his cabin and I was very aware that I was going to be alone with him in a small space and no one knew I was gone.

I started to twiddle my fingers restlessly as he led me into a living area and gestured for me to sit on the sofa. My heartbeat still hadn't returned to its normal level and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable when Shane sat down opposite me.

"Hey it's okay I won't hurt you." Shane said noticing how uncomfortable I was. He didn't move towards me but he looked uncertainly into my eyes.

"I know it's just hard to be here alone with a guy, it's not your fault." I replied still a little nervous but I didn't want to make Shane feel bad, I did feel safe around him but I just didn't feel safe in the situation.

"Mitchie it isn't your fault either and I don't want you to ever think that it is." He said insistently, his words laced with an emotion that I couldn't place but he was definitely been serious. I knew he was right in a way but at the same time I couldn't help but think that it was my fault, I had gone to the party and I had gone into that room and I should have tried harder to stop him. I was starting to get lost in my dark thoughts when Shane interrupted me.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" He asked.

"I.. did you carry me home?" I answered, starting with the simplest question.

Shane nodded, "You fell asleep in the woods and you looked so tired before so I didn't want to wake you." He replied sweetly.

"Thanks, but erm what did you tell my mum because she doesn't know and I can't tell her and-" Shane cut me off mid-sentence.

"Mitchie I didn't tell her anything I just said that you had fallen asleep while I was singing for you, I had my guitar on my back so she didn't ask any questions and told me to carry you to your room." He said and reached over to take my hand.

"Thank you Shane." I replied feeling grateful that he hadn't said anything to my mum, I wasn't ready to tell her yet. She would be so worried, and upset, and disappointed.

"It's okay, but you know you really should tell her, she'll be able to help you." Shane replied seriously.

"_I can't" _I whispered sadly but I managed to stop myself from crying this time, I had cried in front of him too many times and I didn't want to cry again.

Shane squeezed my hand reassuringly and then yawned widely, I had no idea what time it was but I guessed that it was pretty late, or early and he needed to get some sleep if he was going to teach his class.

"Shane I should go but thank you." I said.

"It's okay I'll see you in a few hours, you will be in class wont you?" He asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I'll be there." I replied then pulled y hand from his and stood up to leave. He walked me to the door and watched as I walked back to my cabin. I was still nervous about walking around in the dark and kept looking over my shoulder just in case anyone saw me, I knew that no one would be about at this time but it still didn't stop me worrying.

I climbed back in through my window and felt a small amount of relief wash over me, I had managed to get in and out without anyone noticing and Shane hadn't told my mum anything which was good. I decided to put on some sweats and a vest top and crawl back into bed in a bid to get a few hours sleep before classes tomorrow. Caitlyn wanted to start working on something for final jam and I decided that I was finally ready to start too. I would finally sing one of my own songs for her like she has been asking since she found out that I could play. I wanted to sing one of my songs for Shane too like he had wanted to do for me. I drifted off to sleep thinking about music, Shane, and Caitlyn, and for the first time in almost 2 weeks my dreams were peaceful.

**This chapter was a little shorter than the last few but I didn't really want to make it too long and drag it out. Hope you enjoyed it, please review and hopefully there will be another update soon!**


	13. Chapter 12 Careful

**Okay it's been a while so if you're still reading, thank you very much! I've had so much to do over the past 2 weeks, exams, moving house and then I had to wait for an internet connection to be set up which was not fun. Anyway, I thank you for the reviews and what not for the last chapter and here is the next one. I have some interesting ideas for the next few so stay tuned!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own camp Rock...**

Chapter 12 Careful

Today was going pretty well so far, I had woken up actually feeling awake rather than tired, it was amazing what a few hours of uninterrupted sleep could do for a person. I helped my mum with breakfast, managed to eat more than one pancake, and even made it through a full dance class without messing up, running out, or causing problems. Shane was watching me the whole time making sure that I was keeping up which meant I received death glares from Tess but I didn't even mind. I was going to try and have a good day.

I was sat on a log where the campfire Jam had been held smiling to myself when I saw a hand wave in front of my face.

"Woah someone's happy today." Caitlyn joked.

I just shrugged my shoulders, relaxed my smile and looked up at her.

"Just enjoying the sun." I replied tilting my head back a little bit to look at the clear, blue sky.

She came and sat beside me on the log and mimicked my position.

"Yeah, the sky is really blue today isn't it." She observed, I knew she was trying to get my attention so I stopped what I was doing, rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Caitlyn what do you want?" I asked playfully, I thought about ignoring her for a few more minutes just to annoy her but decided against it.

"Well, I was thinking after Brown's class you could come over to my cabin and we could start working on something. My roommate has packed up and left so it will just be us two." She said hopefully looking up at me with a pleading glance.

"Sure, I was actually going to tell you that I might be ready to start something, I've got a few songs that I want you to hear, one of them might be okay to sing for final jam." I replied my voice trailing a bit at the end of the sentence.

"Really Mitchie that's awesome!" Caitlyn said enthusiastically.

I smiled slightly at her before grabbing her arm and standing up.

"As much as I'd love to sit out here all day I think we should get to class." I said happily and pulled her lightly along to Brown's class. I was determined that nothing and no one was going to stop me having a good day today.

Once inside the class I took a seat next to Caitlyn in the middle of the room and waited for Brown and the rest of the campers to arrive. Tess conveniently took the seat directly behind mine and I had a feeling that she was going to try her best to put a downer on my mood.

"Right campers today we're gonna work on harmonies." Brown said as he waltzed into the room with his usual cherry attitude.

He locked eyes with me and winked, "It's nice to see you today Mitchie." He said sweetly before proceeding with directions.

We were all moved into groups in which we were to produce our own harmonies, and I knew my luck was out when I was placed in a group with Tess, Ella, and some rather husky looking boy that was trying to give us all the 'eye' but he was just giving me the creeps.

I was trying my best to ignore the blonde bimbo behind me but every time she tapped me on the shoulder or whispered faintly behind my ear it became increasingly difficult and when Brown set us off on our task I was faced with the unfortunate pleasure of talking to her.

"So Mitchie I noticed you didn't take my advice." She said to me simply, Ella and the big dude seemingly oblivious to our conversation.

"Look Tess I think we should just work on the harmony." I replied, hoping that she would just forget whatever issue she had with me and get on with things.

" Mitchie I would but you don't seem to have any idea of how this place runs. Shane is mine and no one, especially not the cooks daughter, is going to take him away from me." She spat quietly, her face so close to mine that I was the only one that could hear her harsh words.

"I..I'm not trying to take him away from you, he is a person and people chose who they hang around with, maybe if you were nicer..." I uttered, my voice trailing off at the end when I noticed the look in her eyes change from mean to sheer hatred.

"Oh you have no idea what you're getting yourself into. Watch your back Mitchie because you never know who might be lurking in the shadows." She replied before giving me a sickly sweet smile and turning back to the other members of our group.

To say that I was terrified would be an understatement, there was something about her that made me sure that she wasn't kidding, the bitch had succeeded in turning my best day since the incident into one of the worst.

I didn't say much for the rest of class and let Tess take the lead, singing whatever part she told me to and ignoring the evil looks she kept sending my way. When class was dismissed I rushed straight to my cabin, not even stopping to talk to Caitlyn, and locked myself in the bathroom taking deep breaths.

About 5 minutes later there was a light knock on the bathroom door.

"Mitchie are you in there sweetie?" My mother's voice called through the wooden door. I tried my best to make my voice sound even before replying.

"Yeah I just feel a little sick that's all." I replied and it wasn't a lie, I did feel sick.

"Are you alright honey, you can have the day off in the kitchen if you want." She said back through the door.

"Thanks mum." I replied as I unlocked the bathroom door and opened it to be faced with my worried looking mother.

"Well you do look a little pale." She said putting a hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I knew I didn't have one but being the worrier she is, I was sent to my bed.

"Mum I need to go find Caitlyn, we have dance class in 15 minutes." I whined, I really didn't want to leave my cabin, or see Tess again today but I didn't want to let Shane down.

"I'll go fetch Caitlyn for you now, but you are going to stay in that bed and you are not going to that dance class!" My mother said insistently and I just sighed in defeat as she left to find the bumbling ball of sunshine that was Caitlyn.

Five minutes later a slim brunette came rushing into the cabin with a confused look on her face.

"Mitchie are you alright, your mum said you weren't feeling well and you rushed out of Brown's class so fast, what did Tess say to you?" She asked so quickly I could hardly keep up.

"Nothing, I just don't feel good it must be all the sun." I joked but I knew she could see right through my facade.

"Sure, sure you stick to that story and I'll go kick her ass." She replied, I could see that she really did want to kick Tess' ass but I knew that she wouldn't.

"I wanted to ask you a favour." I said taking the subject away from Tess.

"Shoot." Caitlyn replied.

"Can you tell Shane that I'm sorry that I'm not coming but my mum won't let me out of the cabin because I was feeling sick and 'look pale'," I asked, using air quotes when I said 'look pale' causing Caitlyn to chuckle a little.

"Sure thing, I'll come buy after dinner with some food." She replied then waved a goodbye before exiting the cabin toward class, leaving me alone with my thoughts, a place that I did not enjoy being.

Tess' words rang in my ears, what did she mean, I knew her threats were far from empty but I didn't want to let her win, I didn't want another person to have a hold on me through fear. I had already let one person tear me down into the person that I had become and I couldn't let Tess take away what was left of me. No I needed to be careful.

**I apologise profusely for the ridiculous amount of time it has taken me to update and if there are any readers left out there thank you and I would really appreciate your thoughts. The next few chapters are going to be interesting, I've got a major plot twist in mind that I hope you won't guess. Anyhow, thanks for reading and stay tuned!**


	14. Chapter 13 Use somebody

**Hey guys, thank you very much for sticking with the story. The reviews are always lovely which I appreciate very much. I hope you will keep reading and reviewing and hey... this chapter didn't take quite as long to write :-) **

Chapter 13 Use somebody

It had been about an hour since Caitlyn left and I had decided to do some writing to take my mind off Tess and Darren, I was just making some alterations to a song I had been working on before I came to camp when there was a knock at the cabin door.

"Hello, who is it?" I called nervously from my bed as I slid my yellow notebook safely under my pillow. I expected to hear Caitlyn's voice call from the other side and was shocked when the reply came from a male.

"It's Shane, can I come in I brought food." He replied sweetly, clearly hoping the food would grant him entry.

"Um... sure?" I said although my answer sounded more like a question, as if I was asking myself if it was okay to let him in. I just kept thinking to myself that it was Shane and he wouldn't hurt me but I was still nervous when he opened the door and the dark haired boy came closer holding a tray of food.

He approached the seat that my mum had placed at the end of my bed and then gestured toward it waiting for my permission to sit down, he obviously remembered that I had boundary issues and I liked how he considered my feelings.

"Oh go ahead." I said aloud when I realised he was still standing there holding a tray whilst I was thinking about him.

"Thanks, I hope you're feeling better. I didn't know what you liked so I just brought a bit of everything, your mum really is a great cook." He said sweetly then gestured to the tray of food.

"I'll tell her you think so, by the way where's Caitlyn she was supposed to be bringing me food." I replied whilst I scanned the large tray of food that Shane had set down on my bed.

"Well she told me you weren't feeling well and I was worried so I asked her if it would be okay if I took you the food, you don't mind do you because I can go get Caitlyn if you want." He said shyly which made me smile a little.

"No Shane it's fine, and I feel much better now." I said, knowing that I felt better because I was no longer thinking about Tess, and because, for some strange reason he made me feel safe.

I saw him studying me as I looked at the selection of food on the tray, I wasn't really that hungry so I picked up a large, red, apple and took a bite out of it. He was still staring at me, I was beginning to feel a little awkward under his stare and started to fidget, a habit that I had developed recently, reserved only for when I was nervous.

"Shane why are you staring at me?" I asked nervously, snapping him quickly out of his trance.

"Ah I'm sorry I was just, you still look a little pale." He explained with a slight look of worry in his eyes.

"Shane I'm fine, I was just tired out from the dance class this morning and it caught up with me when we were singing." I lied not able to look him in the eyes as I did so.

He sighed loudly and I knew that he could tell that I wasn't telling him the whole story but he didn't know me well enough to pry, so he let it go.

"So, what were you doing this afternoon whilst everyone else was working their butts off in my second dance class?" He asked humorously.

"Nothing much, looking through my song book I finished writing one. " I replied nervously, I had never let anyone hear one of my own songs and the look in his eyes suggested that he was going to ask to hear it.

"Can I see it?" He asked so sweetly that I felt like I couldn't say no, plus he hadn't actually asked me to sing.

"Um... okay but I can't sing it, I'm still a little rusty and don't laugh." I replied as I fumbled around underneath my pillow until I found my treasured book.

I carefully opened the book to the right page and tentatively handed it over to him, my heart beating furiously with nerves. I watched him as he scanned my lyrics and was shocked when he cleared his throat and began to read them aloud.

"_The clouds hang over, bring another rainy day. It's beating on my window the sound never goes away." _He paused for a second and smiled at me before continuing.

"_I hear your name in my sleep, I see your face every time I my dreams. I never want to wake up and watch you slip away, when I lost you all the colours faded grey."_ He stopped again and looked at me with a saddened expression.

"Mitchie, I don't know what to say." He said as realisation crossed his features and I guessed he had grasped the meaning of the lyrics.

"I just wrote down my feelings." I replied nervously but it was nice to be able to discuss my music with someone who understood the song writing process. However I was a little scared that he now knew my feelings about the incident, how I felt about myself.

He scanned the rest of the song and came to the final verse, "_You were amazing, a bright and shining day. The rain, it started pouring when they took you away_."He said and then looked up at me again.

"Wow, you really have a talent for this Mitchie I you sing it beautifully." He complimented and as usual I blushed.

"Well thanks but I still think it needs work, I'm no expert." I replied shyly.

He chuckled lightly at my response and handed me my book back before clearing his throat and taking my free hand in his. I jumped back a little as his warm skin made contact with my cold hand but I didn't pull my hand completely away.

"Are you alright?" He asked sweetly, I just looked up and him and nodded. I wasn't completely alright but I was getting better slowly. I knew that if I was alone with any other guy I would be freaking out. I had freaked out when I first met him but something inside me was telling me I was safe, and even though many more parts of me were screaming danger I wasn't so afraid.

"Shane I'm glad you're here." I said shyly but I was being completely honest.

"I'm glad I'm here too, now will you tell me the real reason you didn't come to the dance class this afternoon, I was really worried about you." He asked seriously and I couldn't keep it in any longer.

"Tess hates me, because I wouldn't stay away from you she threatened me and I have never seen anyone look so serious in my life. I'm scared Shane." I said timidly, trying hard to keep strong and not cry again.

"What did she say Mitchie?" He pressed wanting to know everything.

I sighed and explained how she wanted Shane for herself and that the 'cook's daughter' wasn't going to stop her getting what she wanted. Then I paused before telling him the last part.

"Then she said that I needed to watch my back because 'you never know who might be lurking in the shadows'." By the time I had finished speaking Tess' final words to me I was shaking, the only stable part of my body was the hand that Shane held.

I looked down at our entwined hands then up to his face, he looked mad and I found myself increasingly nervous about what he was going to do.

"Don't worry Mitchie I promise you I won't let anyone hurt you and until I figure out what Tess means you go nowhere alone." He stated in a tone that suggested protesting would be futile and yet I tried.

"But I can't have someone with me 24/7, you have classes to teach and I have to work in the kitchen and I can't tell anyone else Shane, I just can't" I replied knowing that I was once again letting myself cry in front of him.

"Mitchie I don't want anything to happen to you, just promise me that you'll be sensible, no late night trips to my cabin or wandering into the woods alone. Please." He asked with a look in his eyes that meant I really couldn't protest.

"Okay." There was a few minutes silence, neither of us looking at each other but both staring aimlessly around the room before I decided to break the silence.

"Shane do you think she asked him to come here?" I asked, my voice shaky.

"I honestly don't know Mitchie." He replied earnestly and gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

Shane stayed in my cabin and we just sat and quietly enjoyed each other's company until my mum came back from the kitchen. When I heard the door I jumped and pulled my hand from his then sat myself up properly in the bed, all the while Shane smirked at me.

"Hey mum." I called as she entered my room.

"Hey Mitchie... Shane." She replied looking a little shocked to see the 'rockstar' sat in the chair at the front of my bed.

"Mrs Torres, I was just leaving and just so you know she didn't eat much." Shane said to my mother as he stood up. I shot him a quick glare then acted normal before my mum noticed.

"Okay well thank you Shane for taking care of my daughter, you're welcome any time." She replied like she owned the place, seriously we had been here four days and she barely knew the guy.

"By Mrs Torres, Mitchie." He said before winking at me and exiting the cabin.

My mum then turned to face me with the worried look that had plastered her features for a while now. She noticed the half-eaten apple in my hand, the white interior now turning a little brown from being in my hand so long, and sighed.

"Mitchie please tell me that isn't all you've eaten today. She said as she took a seat on the end of my bed.

"Um... I guess I just wasn't hungry?" I replied in a questioning tone.

She shook her head and five minutes later I was ploughing my way through a cheese sandwich that she had managed to guilt trip me into eating. Today had not been my favourite day at camp and I was still terrified about Tess' threats but I couldn't let her get to me.

I spent the evening in the cabin with my mum watching a random movie on the portable DVD player my dad had insisted I bring with me. It was nice to sit and catch up with her, it felt like forever since I was alone in a room with her, laughing like we used to. I looked at her and found myself wondering how I could tell her about the _rape_. I could barely even think the word and I knew it would crush her, her only daughter tainted forever but spending time with her now made me realise that she needed to know. It would be awful telling her the truth, but it was worse lying to her and pretending everything was okay when I knew she could tell I was dying inside.

**Okay so that's the end of that chapter, I posted it as quick as I could but I have been having issues with fanfic lately, my chapters aren't showing up and when I tried to read other's stories or updates it keeps saying they don't exist... Anyone else having issues? Anyway I hope you liked this, please review. xxx**


	15. Chapter 14 All we know

**Hey as always I want to thank all the readers, favourites, and especially the reviewers because you keep me going! Hope you enjoy this chapter sorry it took a while I want to make it as realistic as possible but I think I'm making Mitchie too happy, what do you think?**

**Because I forgot the last few times I think... I don't own Camp Rock.**

Chapter 14 All we know

I woke up the next morning and realised that I had fallen asleep beside my mum, she was still lying fully clothed underneath the blankets so I knew it was still early. As I looked at her sleeping form I thought about last night, how much fun it had been spending time with her, how happy I had made her and I knew she could never hate me. Shane had told me to tell my mum before but I wasn't ready, and I realise now that it wasn't because I was scared she would hate me and think less of me, but because I wouldn't have been able to look at the pain in her eyes when I told her. The pain in her eyes that would flash every time she looked at me.

A small tear rolled down my cheek and a quickly wiped it away shaking my head a little to wake myself up more. I carefully slid out of the bed and checked the time. It was 5:00am so I had 30 minutes to kill before my mum would wake and start getting ready to work in the kitchen. I was in an athletic mood this morning and wanted to go for a run and clear my head but I remembered that I promised Shane I wouldn't leave the cabin unescorted. I didn't want to let him down but I needed to get away for just a little to think and even though I was a little scared about Tess' threats I decided to risk it. I grabbed a bottle of water, pulled on a pair of grey sweats and a blue tank top, scraped my hair up into a loose ponytail, and quietly made my way out of the cabin.

As soon as I stepped outside a warm breeze caressed my cheeks and I could tell that it was going to be another hot day. I liked the sun, it was bright and cheery and put everyone in a better mood, even me. I looked around the camp and when I was satisfied there was no one around but the happily chirping birds I began to run. I started out lightly jogging but as the minutes passed and I grew further away from my cabin I found myself running faster until I was almost sprinting. I stopped when I was by the lake, my chest heaving heavily as I tried to catch my breath. I took a seat at the edge of the lake, swinging my feet aimlessly and watched as the sun rose up above the water, it was beautiful and I found myself wishing I had a camera so I could capture this moment forever, alas it was not meant to be. I sat there for what I assumed to be 10 minutes before making my way back to my cabin where my mum would be just about ready to wake. I had decided that I needed to tell my mum but I wanted Shane to be there too for moral support, he knew and I figured he could help me if I got stuck for words because it was going to be difficult to tell her. I picked up the pace and made it back to the cabin without any accidents or unfortunate encounters but I did have a feeling I was been watched.

I walked back into my room to the slight beeping of my mum's alarm and stifled a giggle at her displeased groan from been woken.

"Hey mum I'm gonna take a shower okay?" I asked sweetly.

"Sure honey." She mumbled sleepily and I knew that she wouldn't make much sense until she had her morning caffeine hit.

I tried to shower as quickly as possible knowing that my mum would need to take a shower before work and that time was slowly ticking by. I soaked my hair and lathered it in shampoo before proceeding to rinse the suds inhumanly fast. I then applied conditioner and proceeded to wash the sweat from my body before rinsing the product from my hair, shutting off the water and stepping out of the shower. I quickly wrapped a towel tightly around me avoiding glancing at myself in the mirror; I found it difficult to look at myself naked, to any other person I would look fine but when I looked at my body I saw all the faded bruises, and the memories of that night came flooding back. No one else could see the bruises but they were like permanent scars, I felt like a pad of paper tainted with invisible ink that could only be seen under certain light. I shuddered slightly at the mere thought before opening the bathroom door and heading toward my room.

"Mum the bathroom is free." I called through to the kitchen/living area where I assumed my mum would be.

"Okay Mitch, I need to shower quick then head straight to the kitchen but I'll see you at 6:45." She called back obviously attempting a subtle reminder that I also had to work this morning.

I knew that but I hated that she needed me to help serve the campers, and normally I wouldn't mind but everyone already thought I was strange and Tess was out to get me, no this could not go well. Whilst I dried my hair I decided that if I was going to tell my mum it would have to be tonight, I would speak to Shane after class and ask him if he wouldn't mind sitting in then I would tell her.

Dance class was over so I shuffled my feet nervously toward Shane as I waited for everyone else to leave the hut, and by the time I reached him we were alone, well apart from Caitlyn who was waiting outside the door.

"Shane can I er.. ask you something?" I muttered nervously keeping my head down.

"Sure Mitch what is it?" He replied sincerely as he picked up his gym bag.

"Well I was wandering if you could come by my cabin tonight and help me tell my mum." I said quickly hoping that A, he could understand me, and B, he knew what I was talking about.

"Are you sure you want me there, I mean I will if you need me." He replied sounding a little apprehensive.

"I just think it will be easier if you're there in case I can't say it." I whispered but looked up into his eyes to gage his reaction.

"Okay Mitchie if you think I'll help then yes, I will be with you." He replied, his eyes burning beautifully into mine.

"Thank you so much, come by around 7?" I asked.

"Sure, oh and Mitchie I think you're doing the right thing telling your mum, things will be so mch better from here." He said back gently.

I gave him a small, nervous smile and turned toward the door but was stopped by the light grip of his hand. I jumped a mile and pulled my arm toward my body rubbing it lightly, it wasn't that his tough had been rough, but that I wasn't expecting it.

"Oh Mitchie I'm so sorry I didn't meant to I just wanted to make sure you had someone to walk with to lunch and I didn't think." He said sadly seeming so disappointed in himself.

I shook my head lightly and looked at him again, "It's okay I know you won't hurt me and I didn't run this time." I replied trying to make him feel better but the slight fear in my voice gave away how panicked a small touch could make me.

"I'll see you later then." He said still annoyed with himself.

"Yeah you will, and to answer your question, Caitlyn is waiting outside." I replied giving him another small smile that I hoped would ease his conscience then headed off to the lunch hall with Caitlyn.

The hours had passed by quickly today, too quickly and before I knew it Shane was knocking on the door to my cabin and my mum was sitting in the kitchen/living area looking royally confused. I had spent the past half hour avoiding her until the last possible moment then I told her that we needed to talk. I opened the door to see Shane standing there looking nervous but he smiled at me supportively.

"Are you ready?" He asked sweetly.

I nodded my head and took a deep breath as he came inside the cabin and closed the door behind him, "I'm as ready as I'm gonna get." I replied anxiously then took his hand in mine and pulled him into the room where my mum was sitting.

As soon as she saw Shane she looked at me with even more confusion in her eyes and I could tell that she knew that I was going to tell her something bad, something life changing. I took a seat opposite her gesturing for Shane to sit also then inhaled a sharp breath, the room was silent and all eyes were on me waiting for me to speak.

"Mum I need to tell you something." I said sadly trying hard to keep calm but I was terrified.

She nodded her head and looked into my fearful eyes with a look of compassion and love that only a mother could give and I felt a little calmer.

"Okay, you know the night of the party, Cassie's mum brought me home and you thought I was drunk." I said starting at the beginning, I couldn't make myself come right out and say it.

Shane squeezed my hand supportively under the table and my mum nodded for me to continue, I could tell by the look in her eyes that she had an idea where this was going and she didn't like it.

"Well I wasn't, I was drinking soft drinks but someone spiked it." I continued my throat starting to burn as I fought to hold back my tears and keep my composure.

"I lost Cassie and there was this guy... a-and he was t-too stro-ng and mum I tried to get away but..." I started sobbing uncontrollably after that, I couldn't finish the sentence, I couldn't look at my mum or Shane, I pulled my hand from his grip and just sat and cried.

"Oh Mitchie, I'm so sorry honey." My mum said getting up from her seat and pulling me into her arms, she was crying now too and so was Shane the 'bad boy' rock star.

She held me until my tears stopped and then mumbled something about going to clean up leaving me with Shane who was still sat rigid in the hair, his eyes bloodshot from crying.

"You did good Mitch." He said with a half smile.

"I broke her heart." I replied sadly.

He shook his head, "No, no you didn't, none of this was your fault and now that bastard will get what he deserves." Shane said sweetly.

"I guess I should make sure she's okay." I replied feeling guilty, relieved, scared and drained from the previous conversation.

"Yeah I guess you should, I probably should go back to my cabin now too." He said passing a hand through his dark locks messing his hair.

"Thank you Shane." I replied and pulled up the courage to give him a timid hug, it wasn't a bear hug or anything and he didn't put his arms around me, but it was something.

Shane left shortly after then I went to check on my mum, she looked better now that she had been given some time to process the information and I knew that tomorrow we would have some things to discuss but right now I just wanted to sleep.

She made us both a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows which we sat and drank before bidding each other goodnight.

**Sorry for taking ages again but every time I wrote this it just didn't feel right, I'm still not sure that was any good but I felt like I owed you all a chapter so...**

**On another note I have a Sonny with a chance story coming out very soon called 'The boy who murdered love' So yeah... Thanks for reading and please pretty please review x**


	16. Chapter 15 Cry me a river

**Hey thank you all again for reading and reviewing the last chapter, as always your thoughts are appreciated and all feedback is taken into account when I write. This chapter is the start of a story arc that will lead to the end of this story. Sorry again that you had to wait a while for this but I had an exam on Thursday so I have been busy revising for it. Anyway, enjoy x**

Chapter 15 Cry me a river

The next morning me and my mum talked, she asked me about the boy, about what happened and I tried my best to tell her everything but some parts were just too difficult to say aloud. She told me that she wanted to go to the police but it had been almost 3 weeks since it happened and I had watched enough crime programmes to know that there would be no physical evidence anymore and he would probably get off without a warning. I was now nervous about her telling my dad, he would find out when the police came poking about, asking questions when we came home from camp. I worried that the police would come here and everyone at camp would find out, I didn't want that, I wanted to at least try to enjoy the last week and a half of camp.

"Mum would you not tell anyone yet please, I don't want to go home." I said looking into her eyes.

She sighed loudly and took my hand, her eyes slightly red from crying which made me feel guilty.

"Mitchie I know you don't want people to know but you have to tell the police about this boy, he deserves to be locked up Mitchie, he deserves to be punished." She replied her voice so bitter when she spoke about Darren and I knew that if she could, she would punish him herself but my mother was not a violent person.

"I know mum but I'm just scared that they won't believe me and I want to finish camp first, and then there's dad. He will worry so much if I tell him, and if we're not home he might do something stupid." I said sadly.

"Okay Mitch, you can finish camp but then we need to go to the police but I do think you should tell your father." She replied seriously.

"I need to get ready for class and you have to work, we can talk about this later." I said abruptly and stalked off to my room in the cabin to get ready. I wasn't feeling too great today and I just wanted to go to class, see Caitlyn and Shane and feel normal, just for a while.

-XXX-

I arrived at Brown's class early, the cabin was completely empty and I found myself edging toward the black, grand piano that sat in the corner of the room. I took a seat on the stool and allowed my fingers to gently stroke along the keys, I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, picturing myself before the accident, how much I had wanted to be here and how much I loved music. I opened my eyes to make sure the cabin was still empty and then began to play.

The sound of my fingers gently pressing the keys filled the room and I began to sing to the melody, a song that I loved so much, not my own but it was beautiful, it was breathe me by Sia. I was just getting to the chorus when I heard the door slam shut loudly and I stopped playing almost instantly to see who had come in.

"Hello." I called out as I heard footsteps approaching me.

"You know Mitchie that wasn't bad for a whore." The familiar voice spat and I almost wanted to die, I hadn't seen her in a few days and today was not a good time for her to bother me.

"Tess can't you just leave me alone?" I asked trying my best not to sound defeated but I think she sensed some resignation in my voice.

"Don't think I didn't see Shane leaving your cabin last nighT." She replied, her blue eyes stabbing me as she spoke.

"Look I..I don't know what you think is going on but we were just talking, he's my friend." I said back as confidently as I could muster but I did stutter a little. Inside I was praying that the rest of the class would arrive soon so she would just leave me alone. I thought about leaving but she had me cornered between herself and the piano.

"I bet that's what you tell all the girls, that you're 'just friends' with their boyfriends and then you go off and sleep with them." She spat back, gosh I hated her so much. She was scaring me and I found myself staring longingly at the door.

"Tess please, I didn't do anything just let me go." I said holding back my tears.

"You know I never thought Darren would go for a girl like you, but then when it's offered on a plate no guy's gonna say no. I mean when I heard that message on your phone I thought that it couldn't possibly be the same guy but it was." She replied in a sickly sweet voice. No, she couldn't know him, she couldn't.

"W..what do you mean?" I replied, this time a small tear escaping.

"Man you really are stupid, he and I used to date so I called him up and he explained the whole situation and I decided to give him another chance." The blonde said and I could feel my breathing speed up.

"B..but, he, you, he lives, he..." I couldn't form a coherent sentence, I couldn't even breathe.

"Anyway I came to tell you, you can have Shane but you better keep your hands of Darren, he told me to tell you he'll see you at Final Jam." She finished her sentence then flipped her blonde hair behind her back and turned to walk away.

"Oh and Mitchie, class is cancelled today Brown has some kind of meeting." Then she stalked out of the cabin leaving me sitting alone on the piano stool like a blubbering, trembling wreck.

I had been sitting at the piano for a while just staring blankly ahead, I think I must have been in shock or something because I physically couldn't move. I heard the door to the cabin open again but I didn't even flinch, I stayed perfectly still even when the sound of footsteps grew closer.

"Mitchie are you okay." I heard the voice say softly but I didn't respond. The figure came closer and sat beside me on the bench, I moved my head to face the person and noticed that it was Shane, I raised my head and looked into his midnight eyes to see nothing but worry.

He moved his arm and slowly placed it around my waist, all the while looking into my eyes to judge my reaction.

"What happened?" He asked again as he pulled me closer to him.

"Tess." I replied, I wanted to say more but I just didn't have the energy too.

"Okay Mitch, we need to get you out of here, somewhere we can talk, do you want to go back to Caitlyn's cabin?" He asked trying his best to be patient with me and without asking me directly what happened.

I nodded and started to stand, I felt my knees go weak but his hand was still around my waist so I didn't fall. I had no idea why I was so weak, I hadn't done anything for at least 2 hours but I guessed I was still in shock. We walked slowly to Caitlyn's cabin and when she saw us the expression on her face instantly changed from a chipper smile to a solemn gaze.

"Shane what the hell happened?" She asked as she held the door to her cabin open and gestured for us to go inside. Shane's hand was still firmly around my waist as he guided me inside, giving Caitlyn a 'we'll talk later' look as we passed.

Shane sat me down on the spare bed and went to leave the room when I freaked out, "Shane please don't leave me." I whimpered and I knew I sounded pathetic but I didn't care right now.

"Mitchie I promise I will be right back I just need to talk to Caitlyn and get you a glass of water okay." He replied sweetly and I couldn't say no so I just pulled my knees up to my chest and held on tightly whilst I waited for him to return.

He came back within minutes and I guessed he had asked Caitlyn to give us some space because I couldn't see her around and I knew this meant that Shane wanted to talk. He handed a small glass of water and I took a huge gulp which helped combat the dryness in my throat.

"So Mitch are you ready to tell me what happened with Tess." He asked as he sat beside me on the bed. He kept a careful distance but for some reason I felt safer when he was holding me so I moved a little closer and nodded.

"She, she's dating _him._" I whispered as just the thought of it sent shivers down my spine.

"What, does she know I mean what has he told her, how long have they been dating?" He asked, so many questions all at once and I'm sure that they weren't the only ones going through his mind.

"I..I don't know but she thinks I slept with him, she thinks I _wanted_ to and she says he's... he's coming here." I replied, my voice trembling but I had no tears left to cry.

Shane then placed his arm around me once more and pulled me close to his chest, his arms enveloping around me like a protective field.

"I promise you I won't let anything happen to you Mitchie okay, I promise." He said soothingly into my hair as I rested my head on his chest.

"Can you take me back to my cabin?" I asked after we had been sat for a few minutes, I wanted to get cleaned up a bit and go get some lunch then I would have some explaining to do with Caitlyn.

"Sure Mitchie, and I think we need to tell your mum about this." He suggested but I firmly shook my head in protest.

"No Shane I don't want everyone finding out about this and if she hears she will make a scene, call the police and I'll get pulled out of Camp. I will be the gossip and I don't want to be, I'm happy fading into the background." I replied.

"Alright but if he comes here, if he comes anywhere near you I can't promise I won't do something stupid." He answered seriously.

I just nodded at him and we made our way back to my cabin, thoughts filled with what was yet to come.

-XXX-

**Okay guys it was a long one and it probably didn't make much sense so I am sorry but I just wanted to get something posted because I hadn't written in a while. I hope you enjoyed it and this is just the start of the drama. If you want to hear the chapter from Shane's POV then let me know and I will post one, otherwise I'll just continue. Thanks again xx**


	17. Chapter 16 I'll be there

**Okay so I decided to start this chapter off by writing Shane's side to the last chapter, it will have his thoughts on the situation. I was going to write the next part of the story too but the chapter got super long so the story will continue in Chapter 17 which will be uploaded within the week if all goes to plan. Sorry for the wait and thanks for reading and reviewing, I'm going to start trying to reply to people soon :)**

Chapter 16 I'll be there

SPOV

I was looking forward to seeing Mitchie again today, after I left last night I couldn't stop thinking about her, how she tried so hard to stay strong when she told the story, how her voice cracked when she couldn't say the words aloud. She was so brave and yet it hurt me to hear how he had broken her and I knew that if I ever saw him I would kill him. It was so strange how strongly I felt for Mitchie when I had only known her a short week but I suppose when someone tells you a deep secret, you are instantly drawn closer to them.

I dragged myself out of bed, Mitchie the only thing keeping me from returning to the comfort of my sheets and facing the wrath of Brown. I took a quick shower, dressed in my usual skinny jeans and a tight grey t, brushed my teeth and then went to blow-dry my hair, anything less than perfect wouldn't do, I'm America's bad boy for a reason. Once I was satisfied with my appearance I took off to the mess hall to get some breakfast before class.

About an hour later I arrived at my designated cabin to find the whole class already stood waiting for me, I scanned the eager faces looking for a pair of chocolate brown eyes and was struck with disappointment and worry when I couldn't find them. I gave Caitlyn a questioning glance but she just shrugged her shoulders and gave me a glance that suggested she was also worried. I made a mental note to cut the class short so I could find Mitchie, after yesterday I wanted to make sure that she was okay and that she hadn't done anything stupid. My mind was definitely not in the room and I found myself stumbling over words and my own feet when I tried to show the class some dance moves. I decided that I would set them a project for next week, that way I could cut the class early and still teach them something.

"Right, today's class is going to be a little shorter than usual but that is because you all have an assignment." I said loudly and was greeted with a few groans and nervous glances.

"Don't worry it's nothing bad, I want you to get into pairs and I know there is an odd number but that's okay because Caitlyn can work with the missing person." I instructed giving Caitlyn a wink knowing she would be pleased she had an apt partner.

"Right in your pairs you have until next week to pick a song and perform a short routine to it, you can be as inventive and creative as you feel like but I want to see passion, I want you to tell a story." I said to the class who were looking up at me with a bit more enthusiasm now, some of them buzzing with ideas.

"Okay then, get to work, I have to go somewhere but I shall see you all tomorrow and I can see how you're getting along." I chimed and then practically ran out of the door.

I went to her cabin first, knocking loudly on the door but there was no answer. I tried the door but it wouldn't open and after 5 minutes and no luck I decided that there was in fact no one inside. Next I ran into the woods, beads of sweat formed on my brow as I ran faster than I thought possible but when I arrived at her usual spot she wasn't there. I called her name a few times and then my attention turned to the lake.

'_I swear to God if she has done anything stupid I am going to kill that boy.'_ I thought to myself as I headed closer to the water. I peered in, a million images of Mitchie slowly sinking, her pale face, blue lips flashed through my mind causing me to rapidly shake my head. She promised me that she wouldn't do anything stupid again and I believed her so I backed away from the edge of the lake and sat down on the ground silently racking my brain for some answers. I think it was five minutes before it suddenly hit me, I was supposed to tell her that Brown's class was cancelled and I forgot and so I scrambled to my feet and bolted it to the relevant cabin.

-XXX-

I reached the cabin, opened the door and stepped inside to be greeted with the sound of light sobbing. I knew straight away that it was Mitchie and forced myself not to rush over to her knowing that it would do more harm than good. I kept my pace even as I approached the crying girl and when I saw her I almost hit something. She looked horrible, she looked broken and whoever did this to her was going to pay.

"Mitchie are you okay?" I asked stupidly, I could see that she wasn't okay but it was the only thing I could think to say to her. Her face was facing the piano, I couldn't see her eyes but knew she was still crying silent tears, her body was shaking and she had her arms wrapped around herself. It was awful I almost cried with her but I knew that I had to stay strong. Carefully I took a seat next to her on the bench and was shocked when she didn't move away. She looked up at me and I could see the pain in her eyes, she looked like a broken doll and I wanted so bad to fix her, I couldn't resist so I placed my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, glad when I saw no protest in her eyes.

We sat for a while and I knew that Brown was teaching a later class in here so we needed to go somewhere, "Okay Mitch, we need to get you out of here, somewhere we can talk, do you want to go back to Caitlyn's cabin?" I asked her and was pleased when she nodded in agreement. I watched as she started to stand and her legs buckled under her, I couldn't believe how weak she was and was glad that I had kept a hand around her waist. I knew that if I saw Tess again I would probably do something I would grow to regret but right now I didn't care, Mitchie was my only concern.

We walked slowly to Caitlyn's cabin, Mitchie relying heavily on my arm for support, which I didn't mind but it worried me, I wondered when the last time she ate was or if she had gotten any sleep? Crying often tired me out and this girl had shed so many tears she was probably exhausted and dehydrated. We neared the cabin and Caitlyn was stood at the door with her usual bright smile but when she saw us coming her expression instantly changed and she looked at me with serious eyes, I would have to talk to her later.

I led Mitchie inside and set her down on Caitlyn's bed gently sitting down beside her, after a minute or so I slid my hand from her waist and stood up from the bed. At first she didn't react but as soon as I started to walk away her head bolted up right and she looked at me with terrified eyes and whispered, "Shane please don't leave me." My heart almost broke in two looking at her but I needed to talk to Caitlyn and get her something to drink. Once I reassured her that I would be back I left the room and gestured for Cait to join me outside the cabin.

-XXX-

"What's going on Shane?" She asked sounding utterly confused and concerned.

"Look you probably figured it out already but there is something going on with Mitchie and Tess has been ... pouring salt into the wound." I replied not able to phrase it any better without telling her things that weren't my place to tell.

"Well is she alright, she looks awful I swear if Tess hit her or something she is so dead." The brunette replied with a dead serious expression on her face, an expression that didn't suit her.

"I don't know Cait, I'm gonna go and talk to her now, I promised her I wouldn't be long but if I found out Tess touched her you will be the first to know and I don't want you holding back." I answered, also serious.

"I wouldn't dream of it, I'm guessing you want some space to talk." She said and I was thankful that she was smart enough to figure it out, I would have felt bad about kicking her out of her own cabin.

"Yeah, if you don't mind I mean." I replied nervously.

"No it's cool, just make sure you keep me clued in, I want an excuse to take that bitch down." She answered then stalked off toward the main part of camp.

I smiled to myself then headed back inside the cabin to talk to Mitchie hoping that I could get to the bottom of the whole facade and find out what Tess had said to get her in such a state.

-XXX-

When I returned to the cabin I filled up a glass of water and found Mitchie sat on the edge of the bed holding her knees close to her chest, she looked so scared and I hated that I had left her like that. I approached her slowly and handed her the glass, glad when she took a sip straight away.

"So Mitch are you ready to tell me what happened with Tess." I asked as I took a seat beside her being careful to leave a comfortable amount of space between us and was stunned when she moved closer to me and nodded.

"She, she's dating _him._" She whispered leaving me a little confused, I wasn't really sure what she was talking about quite yet but then I processed what she had just said and a million questions filled my head at once.

"What, does she know I mean what has he told her, how long have they been dating?" I asked just a few of the questions that were hurtling through my mind but I couldn't get all of them out.

"I..I don't know but she thinks I slept with him, she thinks I _wanted_ to and she says he's... he's coming here." She replied, her voice shaking with fear and I just wanted to hold her and make everything go away. I couldn't help myself then, I placed my arm around her waist and gently pulled her close to me, happy when she didn't resist. She rested her head onto my chest and I instinctively placed my arms protectively around her. If I had my way no one would ever hurt this girl again.

"I promise you I won't let anything happen to you Mitchie okay, I promise." I whispered softly into her hair, my own mantra helping to reassure not only Mitchie, but myself too because I knew that if anything happened to her I would never forgive myself.

After a few moments of comfortable silence Mitchie spoke up asking me to take her back to her cabin, I assumed that she must be tired so promptly agreed then a thought hit me, what about her mum. She could help, and I knew that it would be awkward but it would be sensible to tell her.

"Sure Mitchie, and I think we need to tell your mum about this." I said voicing my thoughts to the brunette.

"No Shane I don't want everyone finding out about this and if she hears she will make a scene, call the police and I'll get pulled out of Camp. I will be the gossip and I don't want to be, I'm happy fading into the background." She replied in a panicked tone and even though it was against my better judgement I knew that I couldn't refuse her, those beautiful brown eyes, her innocent smile. I couldn't say no.

"Alright but if he comes here, if he comes anywhere near you I can't promise I won't do something stupid." I replied letting her know that I was serious about him, if I ever lay eyes on that pathetic excuse for a human being I would make sure he had to pee out a tube for the rest of his miserable life.

She looked up at me innocently and nodded, I smiled lightly at her and helped her off the bed then we walked side by side to her cabin where I hoped she would get some much needed rest.

-XXX-

**Okay so I hoped you guys liked this, I know nothing new happened from the last chapter but a few people wanted to hear Shane's POV. As I said above I should have the next chapter up within 7 days but as you know my writing schedule is not predictable, I can only write when alone/inspired. Sorry if it was rubbish, reviews and suggestions welcomed! x**


	18. Chapter 17 When the lights go out

**Okay people, very sorry I took a while again, I meant to upload this chapter a few days ago but I didn't quite have it finished and then I went camping for a few days and moved house again but I'm back now so I decided to post. There are a couple of notes at the end of the chapter and I would really appreciate it if you gave them a read. Thank you.**

**PS. Not long left now :(**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Camp rock or any of the characters involved in the show... sorry.**

Chapter 17 When the lights go out

MPOV

Once we reached my cabin I practically collapsed on my bed, my eyelids felt so heavy and I was using all my strength fighting to keep them open. I was terrified that if I closed my eyes Shane would leave and I would be alone. At first I found comfort in the quiet of been by myself but now I was scared that Darren was waiting for me, I was scared that as soon as no one was around he was going to come back.

"Mitchie you need to rest you can barely keep your eyes open, stop fighting it." Shane said soothingly snapping me back to reality.

"I can't, I'm scared." I admitted timidly, not feeling the least bit stupid in front of him.

"I'll stay with you, dinner is in 2 hours so I'll wake you then so we can go pick up Caitlyn and get something to eat." He replied sweetly looking at me with pleading eyes.

"You promise not to leave me?" I asked my voice barely above a whisper, as I didn't have the energy to speak much louder.

"I promise I'll stay right here on this seat whilst you sleep." He answered and sat himself down on the chair next to my bed.

It didn't take long for me to drift into a sleeping state, in fact it must have been only seconds after my head hit the pillow, I was definitely more tired than I realised. Before I knew it I was being pulled into a dream that I was reluctant to be part of.

'_Hey Mitchie, it's been a while.' Darren said with a sickly sweet smile on his face._

_My eyes bugged wide and I felt them moisten with a layer of tears, 'Get away from me.' I stuttered._

'_Now, now Mitchie I know you missed me, I mean you told people all about us.' He replied evilly as he took a few steps closer to me and I backed away. _

_The room seemed to get smaller and before I knew it my back was against the wall and he was standing opposite me, his arms either side of my body so there was no escape. I could feel his breath on my face, the familiar stench of stale alcohol filled my nostrils, it was happening all over again and there was nothing I could do about it. _

'_It's time to have some fun Mitchie.' He said in a deep, sadistic voice his dark, blue eyes staring cruelly into mine and I began to scream._

-XXX-

"Mitchie, Mitchie please wake up." I could hear a shaky voice saying my name and I fought with everything I had to follow the sound of the voice and return to reality, not wanting to relive the _rape_ again in my dream, I had done that too many times.

When I finally opened my eyes I found myself enveloped in Shane's safe arms, my head buried deeply in his shirt and when I pulled away I noticed that it was stained with my tears. He was looking down at me with a worried expression on his face and I knew that I must have been crying out in my sleep.

"Mitchie are you okay?" He asked sweetly but I could tell by the tone in his voice that he felt helpless.

I nodded slowly, "It was just a bad dream." I replied back quietly not wanting to ruin the serene atmosphere.

"Was it... was it about _him_?" Shane asked with clear distaste at having to even mention him.

"Yes." Was my short reply, I didn't want to go into details and I hoped Shane took my one word answer as a hint.

"It's gonna be alright Mitchie, I promise." He whispered back and gently rocked me back and forth in his arms like a small child.

"You should try go back to sleep, there is still an hour before lunch and you still look tired." He spoke again.

"I know but I'm scared Shane, I can't see his face again, I can't relive it anymore." I cried frustrated with myself because I was tired and I did want to sleep but I just couldn't let myself. I would stay awake for the rest of my life if it meant I wouldn't have to live through that any more, I would stay awake forever if it would help me forget.

"Please just try." He said quietly looking at me with pain in his eyes and I knew then that I must look pretty bad so I nodded and closed my eyes, as long as he kept me enveloped in his arms I might be safe.

-XXX-

SPOV

I watched for a second time as the tired brunette fell asleep, this time in my arms and couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. She was so exhausted it was starting to scare me and when she woke up screaming I was so angry with myself, so frustrated that I couldn't help her, sure I could keep her safe in reality but I couldn't protect her in her dreams where she was forced to relive her horrific ordeal over and over again. I felt her body move closer to mine and assumed that I must have unconsciously pulled her closer to me whilst I was deep in thought. Her body was so tiny, she had only been at camp just over a week and she was looking thinner, the stress of everything mounting up on her so much she was forgetting to eat but her mum was going to help me with this.

I glanced down at my watch and noted that Mitchie had now been sleeping for 15 minutes, I would be able to let her sleep for another 30 before we would have to start getting ready to go for lunch and so my thoughts turned to Darren. I hated thinking his name, in my opinion he didn't deserve one but that's just me. I thought about what Mitchie told me, about him coming here, to camp, to my place, invading Mitchie's life when she thought she had escaped, just for a little while and I wanted to kill him.

As I continued to think I felt my eyelids getting heavy and a wave of exhaustion seemed to creep up on my too but I had to stay awake, it was my job to keep Mitchie safe and make sure we made it to lunch.

-XXX-

MPOV

I was awoken by Shane 15 minutes before lunch, and just like he promised I managed to sleep soundly, at least for a short time and I did feel a little better. I went into the bathroom to get cleaned up and brush my hair before we made our way to the mess hall, the last thing I needed was my mum asking questions, she was already worried enough.

"You ready to go" Shane asked when I re-entered the main part of the cabin.

"Yup." I answered walking slowly toward him.

"You look better you know, now that you're not so tired." Shane said, as we made our way to the cafeteria, my arm linked in his.

"I feel a little better, it's just hard sleeping because every time I close my eyes I'm reminded of what happened, It's easier to forget when I'm awake because I can't see him." I replied and I could see a flash of anger fly through his charcoal eyes.

"Mitchie it's only two days until final jam, you know that right?" He said solemnly and I nodded in reply, my eyes gazing down at the floor because I was afraid that if I looked into his eyes I wouldn't be able to stop myself from crying.

"Can we talk about something else, just for today." I whispered, I knew I would have to address the issue before final jam, I knew that I would have to face Darren, I knew that I would have to tell the police, and I knew that I would have to deal with all the consequences of that but right now I just wanted to be me. I wanted to prepare for final jam, I wanted everyone to hear my song, and then maybe, just maybe when the lights go out and the curtains close I will be ready to do all the things I need to do.

-XXX-

**AN**

**Okay so you had to wait ages and I am so sorry. I want to thank all the readers for sticking with me and my crappy update schedule. I would also like to thank my reviewers, fanfic is being crazy at the min but the ones I remember are: ****muzicoftheheart****, ****L is for Left****, ****Sunshinelishous****, ****caseybug14****, ****PleaseDon'tForget****, and ****coolkitten12****. Thank you, I do read all your reviews and I love getting them, I take every comment and suggestion into account and I hope you continue to review. If I missed anyone out I am very sorry and I will try to mention you next time. xx**


	19. Chapter 18 In the end

**Sorry again, contrary to popular belief I am still alive and if you are still reading this, thank you :) **

**This isn't the last chapter but I just thought the title was appropriate, just thought I'd put that out there. There is one more chapter at Camp after this one then I think 1 or 2 more after, still deciding on the details. **

**A quick note to some of the reviewers I didn't mention before thank you, BlueLion757, ****Moi92, tate4eva, BandS4eva, Leoshunny1985, dizprincess77, midnightwriter1898, and ImABelieber. You are just some of the amazing reviewers that have commented on this story so thank you and enjoy.**

Chapter 18 In the end

With Final Jam only 1 day away I decided that now was the time to throw myself head first into my music, I wanted to make sure everything was just right for my performance. That way I could spend all my energy focusing on making the day memorable for the right reasons, and forget all about Darren's presence. Shane had promised to stick to me like glue backstage, until he had to go take his seat on the judging panel of course, then Caitlyn would take over making sure that I was accompanied by someone I knew at all times.

I told my mum that I had decided to give a performance but she still didn't know about Darren's plan to turn up, I didn't think it was a good idea to tell her. My dad was coming all the way to camp to hear me sing and I just wanted to enjoy it rather than create a scene. I was working in the kitchen cleaning the surfaces when my mum came over and placed a hand softly on my shoulder.

"Mitchie, I love you honey you know that right?" She asked tenderly.

"Yeah mum I know." I replied softly, I was confused as to why she just came up to me to tell me, it was usually just an unspoken understanding between us and the way her eyes glazed with tears made me feel like there was something she wasn't telling me.

"You can go early, you need to practise for final jam, I want my baby to give the performance of her life." She said sweetly wiping a stray tear from her cheek. I hated to see her upset because of me but I couldn't change what happened, and believe me I wish I could almost every waking minute of every single day.

"Thank you mum, I really want to do well." I replied with a serious look in my eyes, a look of determination that I knew she hadn't seen in a while and it made her smile.

"That's my girl." She replied patting my head lightly.

I smiled back at her then discarded my apron, quickly exited the kitchen and headed toward Caitlyn's cabin.

-XXX-

"Hey Caitlyn," I called as I opened the door and sauntered toward one of the beds, I couldn't see her in the living area so I assumed she was either in the bathroom or at the mess hall stocking up on food.

"Caitlyn are you here?" I asked a little louder this time.

At first there was no reply then the bathroom door was thrown open and Caitlyn stood in only a towel clutching a bottle of shampoo above her head. After the initial shock wore off, I couldn't help but laugh at the scene in front of me.

"Caity.. w..what the hell are you doing." I chuckled as she stared at me in embarrassment.

"I thought you were some crazy breaking into my cabin." She replied as if her reaction was completely normal.

"Oh sure, and a shampoo bottle would have offered you mountains of defence, trust me next time you think someone is breaking in stay in the bathroom with the door locked." I replied seriously.

"Yeah right, sorry Mitch; did you come by to practise?" She asked as she lowered her hand.

I nodded my head, "Yup, I just want to make this perfect, I want him to know that he hasn't won, I want to make him to know that he is in deep shit." I spat the last part of the sentence with determination evident in my voice.

Caitlyn looked at me with a determined smile and I knew that she was the best person to help me kick some ass tomorrow night.

"Okay so I'm just going to go and put some clothes on and we can get rehearsing, I have some ideas for the staging and all you need to do is sing your socks off, the audience will have no idea what hit them." The dripping brunette replied before dashing back into the bathroom to get dressed.

She reappeared no longer than 5 minutes later with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She grabbed her laptop off the bed and began frantically pressing buttons, a wide grin spreading across her features as she slowed her fingers and looked up at me.

"Okay everything is set up, it's over to you." She said with a smile, she had her working head on as both of us were taking Final Jam seriously.

"Right, cool, I just hope you like the song." I replied before taking a deep breath and starting to sing.

-XXX-

We spent 5 hours in the cabin working right through lunch and almost missing dinner but I have to say it was worth it. I was still exceptionally nervous about tomorrow's performance but Caitlyn had the backing track and lighting perfect. I would be playing the piano on the stage live but we had recorded the guitar parts for the backing today, and if we pulled it off I knew that it had the potential to be amazing.

"You want to stay in my cabin tonight?" Caitlyn asked as we sat eating in the mess hall.

"Um, if you don't mind." I replied nervously, I knew she wouldn't have offered if she didn't want me to stay but I didn't want to be a burden.

"Of course I don't mind, now let's grab a handful of cookies and head back to the cabin for a proper sleep over; we can even brad each other's hair." She laughed and rolled her eyes. Of course we weren't seriously going to braid each other's hair, it just wasn't our style.

I smiled in response before following Caitlyn in the direction of the cookies and grabbing as many as I could manage.

"Hey Mitchie don't you think you should leave some of those for the other kids, I didn't make them all for you, you know." My mum said with a slight smile.

"Sorry mum, me and Caitlyn were stocking up for tonight, I'm staying in her cabin so we can practise for Final Jam tomorrow, is that okay?" I asked hopefully.

"Of course honey, have fun. I can't wait to hear you sing tomorrow." She replied then leant over the counter to kiss my forehead causing me to blush with embarrassment.

"Mum." I mumbled then wiped the lipstick off my head.

"Sleep well Mitch." She called as me and Caitlyn headed back toward her cabin dropping cookies on the way. It was going to be a long night of rehearsal and sugar highs but it would be worth it. Tomorrow had to be amazing, it had to be the performance of a life time, it symbolised the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Tomorrow was going to be then start of the rest of my life.

-XXX-

**Again I am so, so sorry for the ridiculously long time you had to wait for this chapter, and the fact that this is kind of a filler, but the next few chapters are the last and a lot is going to happen, as you know from the prologue there is a court at the end. Thank you to all the readers that have stayed with the story, waited patiently and submitted their thoughts. It means a lot to me.**


	20. Chapter 19 Last of days

**I couldn't sleep so I decided that now would be the perfect time to start writing the next chapter, it is late so I am sorry for any spelling mistakes, typos, and general lack of coherence in sentences... Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed, and the rest who simply read, I appreciate every last one of you. Enjoy.**

Chapter 19 Last of days

I woke up with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the reality of Final Jam finally hitting me full pelt, of course it had to pick an unreasonable hour to do so. I glanced over at the clock at the side of the bed and noticed it was only 5:30am. Caitlyn was still sound asleep in the bunk next to mine so I carefully slid the covers back and tiptoed into the bathroom, there was no way I could get back to sleep now.

As I stared at my reflection in the mirror I felt the familiar fear wash over me, the memories of that night encompassing me, dripping like poison into my mind. I splashed my face with water knowing that thinking of _him_ wouldn't help me, I needed to push his face far out of my mind if I was going to perform tonight. Instead, I thought of Shane, how kind and understanding he had been, how different he was, how _safe_ he made me feel and I smiled.

I knew it was early but I needed to see him so I pulled a hoodie on over my night shirt and crept out of the cabin, Caitlyn didn't even stir and I had never been so grateful that she was a heavy sleeper. Once outside I jogged quickly in the direction of the pop star's cabin and reached my destination in less than 5 minutes. Nervously I tapped on the door and waited for him to answer, I knew that I was treading dangerous ground disturbing his beauty sleep but I needed to see him and the selfish part of my brain won out.

"Who the... Oh hey Mitchie." Shane said as he answered the door, his right arm reaching up to rub is eyes sleepily.

"Shane I'm sorry I woke you, can I come in?" I asked sheepishly feeling a little bad that I had woken him.

"Of course, may I ask what you are doing awake and at my door this early on a morning?" He replied as he ushered me into his cabin, the familiar scent of Shane filling my nostrils.

"I... woke up and I couldn't get back to sleep, Caitlyn was out of it and I didn't have anyone else to go to. I know I shouldn't have woken you up but I couldn't stop myself." I said nervously, only looking up to meet his gaze once.

"It's okay, but you do know I am going to be grumpy for the rest of the day and it will be all your fault, the other judges won't know what's hit them." He said sarcastically earning him an eye roll.

"You can sleep now if you want, I'll just sit here." I replied quietly but he just shook his head in dismissal. There was a few moments of quiet before Shane spoke again.

"Mitchie are you scared, because you don't need to be." He stated simply as he took one of my hands in his and traced circles on it with his thumb.

"I guess I am a little, I don't want to see him. What if I can't handle it Shane, everyone will see me crack." I said sadly, the familiar burning feeling at the back of my throat as I held back tears.

"You can do this Mitchie, I know you can." He replied his voice laced with determination and belief.

I just nodded in response, afraid that if I spoke I would cry again and I was sick of crying. Shane lay back down on the bed as I sat beside him, his hand still holding mine and I watched as his eyelids began to droop.

"Shane I should go, you can still get some sleep before breakfast, there are no classes today because of Final Jam." I said softly.

"Mmm, you don't have to go Mitchie, you can just lay here if you want." He replied sleepily the look in his eyes almost drawing me in but I knew that I couldn't stay, Caitlyn would wake up and have a panic attack, and I wasn't sure how I would react waking up with a man next to me.

"Thanks Shane but I can't. I'm going to go back to Caitlyn but I'll see you tonight." I answered whilst stepping off the bed and making my way to the door of the cabin.

"Yeah, see you later Mitch and please be careful." He said seriously, his eyes pleading with me to stay safe. I just gave him a shy smile and headed back to Caitlyn's cabin where I knew I would sit and work myself up into a mess of nerves.

-XXX-

It was now 5pm and I was going out of my mind with nerves. I hadn't seen Tess yet and so _Darren_ had not been present either, a fact of which I was glad about. I knew that if I saw him before I went on the stage I wouldn't be able to get up and sing, I would most definitely want to run far, far away.

Thoughts were whirling through my mind as Caitlyn pulled straightners though my hair attempting to tame the natural waves that had taken residence. "Ouch." I said as she caught my ear with the edge of the tool and burned it a little.

"Ah sorry but if you would just sit still I would be done, we have to go on in an hour and we need to do a quick run through of the song and Shane will be here in 10 minutes to see you." She rambled in her usual quick way and I just smirked and made a conscious effort to stay still using thoughts of Shane to quell any bad images and worrying thoughts.

5 minutes later my hair was finished, perfectly poker straight, and Shane was knocking on the cabin door.

"You are early." I said playfully as I opened the door to reveal a smartly dressed Shane staring down at me.

"Hello to you too." He replied in the same playful manner as he passed through the open door and took a seat on the edge of my bed.

"Hi Shane, you look good." Caitlyn said in a mock shocked tone earning an eye roll from me and a scowl from Shane.

"I'll have you know Miss Gellar I always look good, this shirt just makes me look better." Shane retorted.

"Sure, sure if that's what helps you sleep at night." Caitlyn joked, the usual banter between the pain continuing for a further 5 minutes.

"Alright enough you too, we do have a show to put on and I believe that the panel is missing one judge, don't you have a meet and greet or something in like 10 minutes?" I asked knowing full well that he was probably trying to get out of meeting some of his adoring fans by hiding out here.

"Yes but I would much rather stay here and take abuse from Caitlyn than face a bunch of screaming girls that I really have no interest in." He replied pleading at me with his eyes.

"That is all well and good but you wouldn't want to disappoint them, plus I need to run through the song and I can't do that with you here, I want you to hear it for the first time when I sing on the stage." I said and he gave me an understanding nod.

"Alright I'll go. " He said then leaned down to give me a hug goodbye "_You're going to be amazing." _ He whispered in my ear before pecking me on the cheek and leaving the cabin.

-XXX-

Time seemed to be ticking so slowly, I had been so nervous all day that I wanted to put the whole performance off but now that I had prepared myself and was ready to face the stage, time seemed to have stopped. It was classic sod's law, the way of the universe, and the universe seemed to hate me.

I paced up and down backstage, the bottom of my red dress grazing the floor as I did so but it was the only thing I could do to fill the time. I heard Brown step onto the stage, his voice travelling through the speakers and echoing around the room as he introduced the judges and announced the first act. My heart was practically beating out of my chest and I really did want to throw up now.

"Oh God, oh God what the hell was I thinking, I can't do this." I said, my tone conveying my nervousness.

"Mitchie yes you can, I have heard this song and it's amazing, you look amazing and Shane will be right there in front of you, just look at him." Caitlyn replied in an attempt to reassure me.

I gave her a weak smile and took in a deep breath, Tess was the next act to go on and then it would be my turn. People were bustling around backstage now, a young woman with a head-set ushering me toward the stage entrance as the music for Tess' piece started and my heart was beating faster than before.

"Are you okay luvie?" The woman asked placing her hand on the top of my back.

"Caitlyn, where is she?" I asked in response needing to know that Caity was ready, that she had my back, and that everything was going to be okay.

"She's setting her stuff I can go get her if you want." The woman replied kindly but I just shook my head.

"No it's okay, she is where she is supposed to be." I said and took another deep breath.

It only seemed like seconds later and yet Tess' music had stopped, the crowd had finished their cheering, and Brown was back on the stage, I could hear him speaking.

"_Can you please welcome to the stage the very talented, Mitchie Torres."_ Brown said, the words reverberating around the room filling me with a sense of both dread and excitement. The woman that had guided me to the stage gave me a reassuring smile before I pushed the curtain aside and walked out onto the stage, the small train of my red dress trailing elegantly behind.

The lights hit me straight in the face illuminating my form as I sat on the chair directly in front of the judges. I gave Shane a small smile and then scanned the audience for my parents but my eyes met his and it took everything in me to stay on the stage. As he smirked at me I looked down to the floor and picked up the black, acoustic guitar that was leant on my chair refusing to let him beat me.

I placed the guitar comfortable on my lab and gently brushed my fingers over the strings as I had done a million times before and then I began to play. As I started to play the notes Caitlyn started the backing track, the lights dimmed and then I started to sing the lyrics to the song I had spent so long writing, the song that said everything that I couldn't.

"_Dreaming comes so easily  
Cause it's all that I've known  
True love is a fairytale  
I'm damaged, so how would I know?_

I'm scared and I'm alone  
I'm shamed and I need for you to know

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me  
I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

Healing comes so painfully  
And it chills to the bone  
Won't let anyone get close to me  
I'm damaged, as I'm sure you know

I'm scared and I'm alone  
I'm shamed and I need for you to know

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me  
I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

There's only for my soul  
And undo this fear  
Forgiveness for a man  
Who was stronger  
I was just a little girl  
But I can't look back

I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me  
I didn't say all the things that I wanted to say  
And you can't take back what you've taken away  
Cause I feel you, I feel you near me

Can't go back...  
Can't go back...  
Can't go back...  
Can't go back...  
I can't go back...  
I can't go back...  
I can't go back..  
I must go on...  
I must go on...  
I must go on...  
I must go on...  
I must go on...  
I must go on...  
I must go on..."

As I sang the last line the backing music stopped, I stopped playing and let the sound of my voice echo through the room, a sense of relief and accomplishment washing over me when I had finished. There was a strange silence in the room as the lights brightened and I stood up from my seat but I was soon met with an array of applause before being ushered off stage so the next act could perform.

"Mitchie that was beautiful." Caitlyn said as she pulled me in for a hug.

"Thank you Caitlyn, for all your help." I replied my voice breaking a little and I realised for the first time that I had been crying.

"Anytime Mitchie, now we just have to sit and wait for everyone else to perform then the results. I will have literally everything crossed for you." She said sweetly and I couldn't help but smile at her positivity.

"Hmm, do you think we could go to the snack table, I'm kinda hungry now." I suggested.

"Oh good, me too!" She exclaimed and then dragged me toward the food.

I knew that the next 30 minutes were probably going to be the longest 30 minutes of my life, or at least close but at least I had done it. I had seen him, I had still been able to sing, and now I felt like I was ready to start getting my life back together, start to get better and move on.

-XXX-

**Hey thanks for reading. The next chapter should be up by next week, there are only 2 left now but thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and my inability to upload quickly... The song that Mitchie sings is call **_**Damaged **_**and is by a band called **_**Plum**_** in case you wanted to listen.**

**Please review.x.**


	21. Chapter 20 Stronger

**Hey everyone, I am still alive and very, very sorry that it has taken me waaaaaay too long to update this story. I just couldn't get it right so I left it and life got in the way... Anyway thanks for being patient with me and continuing to review even when I don't update for months. There will only be one more chapter after this one and finally an epilogue, so it is almost the end, sadly.**

Chapter 20 Stronger

Tick, tick, tick; the sound of my watch the only thing I could hear despite all the commotion around me. I was aware that the judges had gone off to deliberate the performances, pick their winner but that wasn't the most prominent thing on my mind, it didn't even bother me that most of the campers were now aware of how positively screwed up I was. No, the only thing that was plaguing my thoughts at the minute was the empty seat in the audience, the seat that had been occupied by Darren just moments ago.

I was overly aware that I was alone, that the music blaring from the stage would block out any of my screams or cries. I wondered if anything were to happen, would anyone even notice that I was gone Shane was busy, Caitlyn was mingling with all the parents, Brown was on the stage, and my mother was serving the intermission refreshments. I stood up from the seat I had been occupying; my legs a little stiff as they had been still for so long, and made my way out of the deserted room, out into the open where there would be people, lots of people.

I opened the door, the hinges squeaking in protest as I pushed it open further and slid through into the bustling backstage area. I exhaled in relief releasing a breath I wasn't aware I had been holding in, and leant against the wall.

"Hey Mitchie," I heard the voice say and the relief that I had just felt completely deserted me.

"What do you want?" I asked trying my upmost to stand strong.

"I just wanted to see you. That song was for me wasn't it?" he asked in a sickly sweet voice, I don't know what came over me and before I knew it my hand had reached up and connected with his cheek causing a satisfying cracking sound.

"You little bitch, I am going to kill you, you thought last time was bad you don't even _know_ what I can do to you." Darren replied venomously, his words stinging me as he reached out and grabbed me roughly by the shoulders.

I let out a small cry half in pain, half in shock but I refused to let myself cry. He lifted one hand from my shoulder and I braced myself for what was about to happen, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes waiting for his fist to connect with my face but it didn't happen. When I opened my eyes Shane was standing in front of me holding Darren's clenched fist in his hand.

XxxxX

1 week later...

It was a week after Final Jam, a week after my name had been called out as the winner, and a week since Darren had been taken away by the police. I had given a statement to the officers and a court date had been set, Darren was going to stand trial for what he did to me. I was glad he was going to pay for what he did, but I was completely terrified of standing in front of a room full of people and reliving that night in front of them.

"Hey Mitch, you okay you look zoned out?" My mom asked breaking me out of my trance.

"Yeah I'm just thinking about court, I know it's not for another week but I can't help it." I replied.

"Oh honey of course you're nervous, and you don't have to do anything you don't want to, no one can make you go into that court room." She answered firmly.

"I know but I think I need to, I have to face him, show him that he hasn't beaten me, I think going into that court room and facing him is the only way I will really be able to move on." I said firmly, almost trying to assure myself that I was strong enough to do this.

My mom nodded in agreement and smiled at me proudly, "That's my girl" She said softly and pulled me in for a hug.

XxxxX

I had been home from camp for six days now and word had gotten around about my attack, the case was due to go to court tomorrow and I was actually much less nervous than before. The whispers and stares from people around town didn't concern me either, in fact the only thing that was on my mind was Shane Grey. It was crazy how much I missed him and I tried everything to get him out of my head but I just couldn't. It was crazy, I had known the guy just a few weeks and yet it felt like we had been friends forever.

It was almost 8pm when my phone started to ring and I knew instantly who was calling.

"Shane, hey." I said without bothering to check the caller ID.

"Hey Mitchie how you doing?" He asked sweetly.

"I'm okay I guess, I'm not sure how I feel about tomorrow, one minute it terrifies me, and the next it is the just something I need to do." I replied seriously.

"You'll do great Mitchie I know you will, just take a deep breath before every question and know that by telling your story you are putting a monster behind bars, making sure he can never do this to anyone again." He said, his voice slightly raised at the vague reference to Darren.

"Yeah I guess so." I replied knowing I didn't sound particularly convinced but he let the subject drop.

We talked for another 30 minutes about everything and anything unrelated to tomorrow which really helped me relax, and it wasn't until I was about to go to sleep that I realised how much I wished he could be with me tomorrow. I knew that my mom was going to be there but somehow Shane managed to make me feel safe in ways that she never could.

I laid my head down on my pillow and closed my eyes hoping that tonight I would be able to get a few hours sleep but knowing deep down that it was highly unlikely. I sighed loudly and let waited as the hours dragged by slowly brining in the next day.


End file.
